Black Doctors Post Letter Encouraging Blacks To Get Vaccinated When Safe

Last week, when I discussed my hopes and goals for the next year with my mother, the need for a vaccine was clearly mentioned.

“Uh, I don’t take it at first, and neither you, ”she told me. “We will leave their take it and see what happens“-“thim” obviously meaning white people.

This attitude is not uncommon in black families, so much so that a group of black medical professionals published an open letter. encourage black people to take the vaccine when it is “safe and effective”.

According to NBC News, the eight esteemed doctors wrote the letter, dubbed “A love letter to black AmericaAccording to recent polls, a large percentage of black Americans are skeptical of the initial vaccine. A Axios / Ipsos A poll showed that while more than 50 percent of white and Latino respondents would take the initial vaccination, 72 percent of black respondents said they would not.

“Respect for our black bodies and our black lives must be a fundamental value for those working to find the vaccine against this virus which has already taken so many of our loved ones,” the letter read. “Our colleagues in health care know that we urge our community to take safe and effective vaccines when available. However, for this to be successful, they need to do more to earn your trust, now and in the future. “

When we quickly revisit the history between blacks and the American healthcare system, it’s not exactly a mystery why blacks are so suspicious. There is the Tuskegee experience, who tested the effects of untreated syphilis on hundreds of black men without their consent. There is Henrietta is missing, whose cells – which have led to many medical discoveries – were taken without his consent or that of his family.

If we move quickly to today, just look at the great disparities that exist Processing between black and white patients. Add to the fact that vaccine development was done under the responsibility of the Trump administration, and quite frankly it becomes surprising that anyone questions the widespread mistrust within the black community.

Later in the letter, doctors are calling on black people to participate in clinical trials of the vaccine to ensure it is safe and effective for the community as a whole.

From NBC News:

The physicians, who assume “key decision-making roles from the lab to the clinic to the virtual conference room” are: Leon McDougle, President of the National Medical Association; David Carlisle, president of the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science; Martha A. Dawson, President of the National Black Nurses Association; Wayne AI Frederick, President of Howard University; James Hildreth, president of Meharry Medical College; Valerie Montgomery-Rice, president of the Morehouse School of Medicine; Randal Morgan, president of the Cobb Institute; and Reed Tuckson, founding member of the Black Coalition Against Covid.

The group called on the black community to hold them accountable for protecting their health. They also shared their role in a medical and racial justice framework and encouraged people to continue to practice safety precautions, even though surviving several months of the pandemic is a burden.

“We affirm that Black Lives Matter. We love you. And as black health professionals, we have a higher call to stand up for racial justice and fight for health equity, ”the group said.

The letter also includes a call from doctors for black families to refrain from coming together this holiday season. “With the holidays approaching, we want nothing more than to break bread with our loved ones. But tradition cannot stand in the way of our health. We urge you to wear your masks, continue to distance yourself socially, wash your hands and avoid events indoors until vaccines are widely available, ”the letter read.

As a humble writer who just wants you all to be safe, I ask you to be mindful of their device. I love nothing more than coming home on a Wednesday night, sipping Henny while watching All Elite Wrestling, and waking up to the scent of a sweet potato pie and a mac-and-cheese.

That doesn’t happen this year, however.

In the wake of the pandemic unleashing in my home state of Arizona and the country in general, this will be the first Thanksgiving of my 28 years that I do not spend with my mother. Instead, I’ll be spending this Thursday drinking Henny, eating snacks, and playing. Call of Duty: Warzone all day with the friends. This is not my prefer way to spend the holidays, but it’s worth it if it means i can celebrate a lot more with my family when it’s safe.

So please, all of you. Take whatever steps are necessary to protect yourself and your family from COVID-19. Wash your hands, wear a mask, don’t go to this gathering. And when it’s safe to do so and you feel comfortable doing it, consider getting the vaccine.