Dr. Calenthia S. Dowdy
Frustrated, my trucker friend called me to get my take on COVID-19 vaccine distribution in the U.S. He has not yet gotten his shot but he works on the frontlines, driving a truck, making deliveries to companies, markets, and restaurants interfacing with the public all day long. A middle-aged African American man with health conditions that would permit him to get the vaccine earlier than some others, but he hasn’t been able to get the vaccine and he’s not sure he wants it. Exasperated he asked, “can you tell me, if the majority of people contracting and dying from COVID are black and brown, why are the majority of those getting access to the vaccine white?” I listened as he talked about the lies of the U.S. government, and the racism and conspiracy that goes down all the time.
He’s right. As of February 16, 2021 the CDC reported that of those receiving at least the first dosage of vaccine, 63% were white, 9% Hispanic, 6% Black, 5% Asian, 2% American Indian/Alaskan Native, 1% Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccination-demographic).
In our city white residents have been at the front of the lines for the vaccine, even in poor black neighborhoods! Prioritizing people with internet access and digital skills (you have to register for the vaccine online) points to persisting health inequalities in part due to unequal internet access. My trucker friend doesn’t do internet anything, and he has a partner who works in a hospital. Nevertheless, I shared that I thought he should still plan to get the vaccine and that I would help him get registered.
Another associate expressed his concern about the vaccine saying he believed it was the injection of a government tracking system, another called it the mark of the beast. Outside of some of the hyper-conspiracy theories I’ve encountered, most people had genuine concerns about the contents of the vaccine, what is it made of? Is it safe? These are legitimate concerns. For the record, as Dr. Fauci and other health officials have repeatedly stated, the coronavirus vaccine does not contain coronavirus. These newer vaccines are not developed from a slice of the actual virus like some old school vaccines are. You cannot contract COVID by getting the vaccine.
There are Black people who remain concerned due to the historical legacy of harm done on Black people by U.S. healthcare systems. For more info. about harm begin with The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male started in 1932 and continuing for 40 years, where black men without their knowledge or consent went untreated for the disease as researchers sought to find out what happened if syphilis went untreated. Or see Henrietta Lacks and her immortal HeLa cells. The U.S. health system has practiced structural racism on the lives, bodies, and communities of Black Americans which has resulted in ample legitimate distrust of healthcare in this country.
However, it seems clear to me and others that if white folks are running to the front of the line in droves to get the vaccine, it’s likely not a vaccine conspiracy to sicken or kill off Black Americans.
Answers? As I’ve been saying a lot lately, there is no magic in any of this but what I have found is that listening goes a long way. Just listen to people share their concerns and reservations. I listen and I also share my own vaccine journey, the fact that I was also doubtful but after deep thought, weighing the pros and cons, and considering the astronomical numbers of people who have died from COVID, the answer became easier for me. I talk about family, the fact that I want to spend time with my mother and other senior relatives again without fear, and that my mom and I got our vaccines on the same day, at different locations. My mother who is 80 was also hesitant about the vaccine but she made her decision based on weighing the odds and talking with her trusted friends. We know that the more people get the vaccine, the more people get the vaccine. When people get vaccinated and talk to their relatives, friends and community about their experiences with the vaccine, more people feel safe getting the vaccine. Just this past weekend in Philadelphia The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium sponsored a 24 hour walk-in clinic for the vaccine saying no one would be turned away, and they held it in a Black neighborhood. Their response to the digital divide was “no registration necessary, just show up.” People stood in a line as long as three city blocks for hours to get the vaccine. Over four thousand people were vaccinated within that 24-hour time frame.
The rollout and movement for vaccination against coronavirus in this country has been slow, which has its own problems, but to be assured, Black people are getting the vaccine and will continue to get it as more of us get vaccinated and share our experiences and stories with one another. A popular African proverb goes, “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Calenthia Dowdy, Ph.D. is the Director of Faith Initiatives at Philadelphia FIGHT Community Health Centers. She is also an academic, cultural anthropologist, and anti-racism workshop facilitator with Roots of Justice, Inc.
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