African Americans and the COVID-19 Vaccine

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Black residents in the Chicagoland area have been disproportionately affected by the virus.

With vaccinations already underway in Chicago, many have questions about the vaccine’s safety, Chicagoland’s vaccine rollout plan and what the experience of getting the vaccine is like.

Join WBEZ reporter Natalie Moore, leading public health experts and residents who have taken the vaccine as they answer your vaccine questions. Panelists include: Allison Arwady, MD, MPH, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Public Health; Archana Chatterjee, MD, PhD, Dean, Chicago Medical School and Member, FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee; Lisa Green, DO, MPH, CEO & Co-Founder, Family Christian Health Center; Lynette D. Stokes, Ed.D., President, South Suburban College; and Anthony Williams, Henry D. Strunk Family Fellow, University of Chicago Medicine.

This virtual event will also include audio from an exclusive interview with Vice President Kamala Harris on the vaccine rollout.

This virtual event continues a five-part series called COVID Conversations that connects Chicagoans to resources to help them become informed, and make it through this pandemic winter. Each hour-long event will feature a WBEZ host in conversation with experts, answering questions submitted by the public. Join us and be sure to submit your vaccine questions via our survey. We’ll get to as many as we can during the event, and may use your questions to drive our ongoing reporting on COVID-19.

Thank you to Chicago Urban League, Something Good in Englewood, South Suburban College, Austin Coming Together, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated- Theta Omega Chapter and AKArama Foundation, Inc. for their support in collecting community questions, assisting with event promotion and co-livestreaming this event. This event was also supported by the Pulitzer Center.