African American celebrities push for Black community to get vaccinated but many are still hesitant
By: Kiara Patterson
As the number of vaccinated Americans continues to rise at a positive rate there is still a heavy concern for the African American community.
A new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation(KFF) shows that only 9% of the 31.8 percent of the country’s population that has been vaccinated is African American.
In a new push to get the Black Community on board, national organizations and corporations are teaming with African American celebrities and creating paid advertising commercials and campaigns.
Filmmakers Spike Lee and Tyler Perry were among the first to join the cause.
Lee teamed with Uber for a national awareness campaign called “Vaccinate The Block”
The campaign aims to get those who don’t have transportation to the vaccination stations. In a statement released by Uber, the company will be donating over 10 million rides.
Perry followed with a series of specials with BET in partnership with Tyler Perry studios titled, “COVID-19 Vaccine and the Black Community A Tyler Perry Special.” Perry said the “special provides helpful and factual information for viewers looking to protect themselves and their families from this unprecedented crisis. Tackling issues head-on.”
But why?… Let’s review the history, shall we!
For starters, black people are skeptical that the vaccine will be another trick played on them by medical experts and the government. They don’t want to become guinea pigs or pawns in what may seem like this everlasting game of chess between the oppressed and the oppressors. They do not want to be like the hundreds of Black men in the Tuskegee Experiment during the mid-1900s. These men were asked to participate in a procedure and told they would be getting treated for “bad blood,” but in reality, they were being treated for Syphilis. These Black men were not properly treated or cared for. The study was initially supposed to only last for six months, but it ended up lasting on for nearly forty years.
Their legacy has left generations of African Americans fearful of new medicine and even technology. The Black community is scared to take shots, or even go to the doctor. They don’t want to be deceived like their ancestors. They don’t want to be fooled by their history.
So what does this mean for African Americans? Will they be left behind?
CNN anchor Don Lemon and NBA Hall of Famer Kareen Abdul-Jabbar explored this same question and addressed the healthcare system and its role in assuring African Americans through implemented outreach and letting Black communities know that the healthcare system cares about their livelihood is of optimum importance.
This deep, daunting and despicable history behind the reasons why Black Americans are fearful of the COVID-19 vaccine is not in vain, but it must be discussed and demolished. Their worry is comprehensible, however, detrimental to the health and progression of African Americans in society. In the 21st century, with technology being at its highest and finest, the fear of the Black community being guinea pigs should last no longer. As white counterparts and officials succumb to the needle, Black people must follow suit. They must educate themselves for the sake of their health and future. Not getting the COVID vaccine is paralyzing the evolution and success of Black America as a whole. To be in favor of the COVID vaccine is to promote wealth, health, and the progression of Black solitude for a more unified nation.
What are your thoughts? Will you be getting the COVID-19 vaccine?
