Black / African American people had 2.6 times higher rates of hospitalization for COVID-19 and 1.9 times more likely to die from COVID-19 compared to white Americans (CDC, November 2021)
It’s too risky to wait. It is much safer to get vaccinated than to risk getting COVID-19. Vaccinated people are much less likely to be infected and experience hospitalization or death. (CDC)
The vaccine is safe for people with chronic health conditions (CDC)
The Black community was involved in the vaccine development. Leading coronavirus scientist and developer of Moderna vaccine, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, is an African American woman and Black/African American people of all ages participated in vaccine clinical
trials. (KFF)
If you are interested in other artwork for promotional materials like the image displayed here, please contact Meredith Warman for more information. All materials are copyright 2022 CO-CEAL.
Urban African American/Black rapid Boot Camp Translation (rBCT) included people of African descent living in Urban Denver and Aurora; native born Africans were not included. Nine community members from Denver and Aurora were convened in the fall 2021. The group identified several root causes and reasons for vaccine hesitancy or low uptake including mistrust due to historical experiences of medical experimentation on Black people, misinformation, and lack of accurate up to date information about COVID 19 vaccines. Several key messages were developed:
An early consensus decision was to identify community messengers. The group identified mothers as effective messengers in the African American community. Given the numerous messages, the community chose to develop a video and a website. The script for the video was written, produced and edited by members of the BCT group. The video setting is a Sunday dinner, which is typical and relatable to the African American community. The tone is cultural and included a real meal. The video has been disseminated through social media, libraries, faith- based communities etc.
Personnel |
Community Connector Quatisha "Q" Bailey |
Facilitators Jameel Mallory Emma Gilchrist |
Medical Expert Oswaldo "Ozzie" Grenardo, MD, MBA, MSHA |
Graphic Designer Kim Sharp-Leyba |
CEAL Contacts |
Donald Nease, MD University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus |
Ricardo Gonzalez-Fisher, MD Servicios de La Raza |