(TriceEdneyWire.com/GIN) – Maternal health groups worldwide are hoping that the election of Joe Biden will lead to a lifting of the so-called “global gag rule’ which cut off much-needed maternal health services in many parts of the developing world.
“I am excited and hopeful that things are going to be better,” said Nelly Munyasia, executive director of Reproductive Health Network Kenya. Her network promotes health services, including offering information about abortion.
“We are going to access funding and we are going to save the lives of women and girls,” she says, before explaining how tough the past four years has been.
Current US policies restrict access to safe abortion not just by attaching anti-abortion conditions to foreign aid. The United States also imposes its rules on how medical providers and non-profits spend their own funds, and on how they care for and advise their clients. The so-called global gag rule led to more pregnancies and lower contraceptive use among women in African countries reliant on U.S. foreign aid, according to a study published in the Lancet Global Health journal.
“Our findings suggest how a U.S. policy that aims to restrict federal funding for abortion services can lead, unintentionally, to more – and probably riskier – abortions in poor countries,” said Nina Brooks, a researcher at Stanford University who co-led the work.
Stanford University’s Eran Bendavid, who co-led the study, said its findings had probably captured only a partial view of the policy’s harm to maternal health, since knock-on effects of risky abortions were not measured.
“Because abortions are an important cause of maternal mortality, the increase in abortion uptake might also increase maternal deaths — and possibly disproportionately given that abortions under the policy could be less safe,” he said.
When organizations reject U.S. funds, they often have to reduce the scale of their programs—years of work to earn the trust of marginalized communities are also lost when clinics close and there are often no other existing programs to replace the services.
Past versions of the global gag rule have shown that the policy does not reduce the number of abortions and has instead increased unsafe abortions. It also has negative impacts on maternal, newborn, and child health.
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to repeal the Mexico City Policy – also known as the ‘global gag rule’ as one of his early acts in office.
GLOBAL INFORMATION NETWORK creates and distributes news and feature articles on current affairs in Africa to media outlets, scholars, students and activists in the U.S. and Canada. Our goal is to introduce important new voices on topics relevant to Americans, to increase the perspectives available to readers in North America and to bring into their view information about global issues that are overlooked or under-reported by mainstream media.
Right-wing group attacks Capitol on Jan. 6 ( Photo by Hamil/Trice Edney Communications) and Insurrectionists carry Confederate flag in Capitol attack
(TriceEdneyWire.com) – A futuristic video circulating on social media early this week features the voice of President Donald Trump calling for a “Day of Reawakening” on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2021. The three-minute video, which features images of people dressed in Trump t-shirts, hats and other paraphernalia concludes with the apparent voice of Donald Trump encouraging them to not be afraid and saying that “God will protect you.” This kind of rhetoric has heated up since the Jan. 6 violent insurrection in which thousands of vastly White Trump supporters showed up at the U. S. Capitol where thousands rioted, vandalized and assaulted police officers. Five people died as a result of the riot; including a Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, who died from injuries he received while fighting off insurgents. Another officer, Howard Liebengood, died by suicide three days after the riot. Widespread reports, including from NBC and CNN, say the FBI has warned of more likely terrorist attacks, insurrections and riots leading up to the presidential inauguration and on that day, Jan. 20. These riots are being planned for all 50 capital cities as well as the U. S. Capitol. President Biden says he will still hold the inauguration outside of the Capital despite continued threats. A possible 15,000 National Guard troops are expected to guard the Capitol during the ceremony. People are being encouraged to watch the swearing in on television. Meanwhile, Congressional Democrats and some Republicans are moving ahead with the impeachment of Trump for the charge, “Incitement of insurrection” for his verbal encouragement that resulted in the rioters storming the Capitol. He would be the first U. S. president to be impeached twice. Trump has repeatedly told his supporters the lie that his election “was stolen” from them. Members of Congress may also face punishment for their words that day, namely Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who doubled down on Trumps lie, claiming the election was stolen and led the vote against the certification of the Biden-Harris election. Some members of Congress insist that to also have been insurrection, which the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution, Section 3, cites as a reason for expulsion from the seats they hold. The Fourteenth Amendment states: “No Person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.” The “Day of Reawakening” video went dead shortly after the social media website, Parler, was taken offline on Monday. Twitter and Facebook also shut down President Donald Trump’s accounts, blocking tens of millions of his followers. But tech experts believe these actions will simply drive Trump supporters and possible rioters to other more obscure platforms where law enforcement investigators can not easily track and monitor their organizational activities. A string of arrests has taken place since Monday, mainly of people involved in the Capitol break in and the threats on the lives of members of Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who they threatened to shoot, and also threats against the life of Vice President Mike Pence, who they threatened to hang for certifying the Electoral College confirmation of the Biden-Harris election. At least two Capitol police officers have been suspended and about 10 others are under investigation for their apparent involvement in the insurrection. Black leaders around the country, are calling for Trump’s immediate removal. They are also raising questions about why the Capitol Police and other law enforcement agencies were not better prepared and more aggressive against the perpetrators as they have been against Black Lives Matter protestors. “What we are witnessing at this moment is the manifestation and culmination of reckless leadership, a pervasive misuse of power, and anarchy. This is not protesting or activism; this is an insurrection, an assault on our democracy, and a coup incited by President Trump,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson during the insurrection Jan. 6. “We must not allow President Trump to continue to place our nation in peril. The NAACP calls for President Trump’s impeachment so that he will never again be able to harm our beloved country, and more importantly, its people.”
Jan. 4, 2021 (GIN) – Countries across Africa are hunting for deals to obtain COVID-19 vaccines at affordable prices but their limited funds will cover less than half of their citizens. One estimate places access to a vaccine at one person out of 10.
According to a report in The Hill, a U.S. news website, 9 out of 10 people in nearly 70 poor countries will not get a COVID-19 vaccine this year due to government funding shortfalls.
In Uganda, nine million doses of the life-saving vaccine have been ordered through GAVI – Global Alliances for Vaccines and Immunization – amid surging new infections in the country. The vaccines will cover only 20 percent of the country’s population.
In Kenya, the country is seeking 24 million doses of a Covid-19 vaccine from COVAX, a global initiative to ensure rapid and equitable access to COVID vaccines with 1.2 billion doses of safe and effective vaccines to be shared among 92 lower-income countries this year.
With an additional $92 million, Kenya can buy more doses, enough to vaccinate 30 per cent of its citizens.
AstraZeneca, a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical company and part of COVAX, said it will provide vaccines at cost “in perpetuity” to countries in the developing world at a cost of no more than $3 a dose.
Pfizer, a for-profit operation, has not joined the initiative. The wholesale price for their drug is $20 a dose – out of reach for most of Africa.
Morocco and Egypt are buying vaccines from the China-based Sinopharm. Last week, Egypt received the second batch of Sinopharm’s Covid-19 vaccine, bringing the country’s inventory to 100,000 – enough for 50,000 people, a small fraction of a total 98 million population.
Morocco says it will vaccinate 80 percent of adults with Sinopharm starting this month after King Mohammed VI instructed the government to make the vaccine free, according to a Royal Palace statement.
In the East African region, Rwanda and Kenya say they’ve applied for the AstraZeneca/Oxford product.
Rwanda is set to acquire the vaccine in the first quarter of 2021 and distribute it to 20 percent of the population.
“Rich countries have enough doses to vaccinate everyone nearly three times over, whilst poor countries don’t even have enough to even reach health workers and people at risk,” said Mohga Kamal Yanni, from the People’s Vaccine Alliance. “The current system, where pharmaceutical corporations use government funding for research, retain exclusive rights and keep their technology secret to boost profits, could cost many lives.”
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
The legendary EBONY magazine is being revived. Former NBA star Junior Bridgeman reportedly has anted-up $14 million for the famed Black media publication. The magazine, which was founded by John H. Johnson in 1945, was forced into bankruptcy earlier this year after an attempt to revive EBONY failed. EBONY sold its photo archive for $30 million last year, and Willard Jackson briefly took over as CEO but left the company soon after. “EBONY kind of stood for Black excellence, showing people doing positive things that could benefit everyone,” Bridgeman said, according to Black Enterprise. “It just made you feel good.” Bridgeman has a history of business success, Black Enterprise reported. As the CEO of Manna Inc., the holding company for his franchise empire of quick-service restaurants, he is a longtime member of the [Black Entreprise] 100s. According to the Michigan Chronicle, Bridgeman, who played for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers, was once featured on a 2016 Forbes top-paid athletes list. He is the CEO of a Coca-Cola bottling company and part-owner of Coca-Cola Canada Bottling Limited. The former athlete attempted to purchase Sports Illustrated in 2018 but eventually withdrew his bid a year later. According to BlackPast.org, EBONY earned fame by honoring Black identity – portraying Black life, refuting stereotypes, and inspiring readers to overcome racial and other barriers to success. John H. Johnson began his career with Negro Digest in 1942 and started Ebony three years later. Both magazines were so successful that in 1972 the Magazine Publishers Association selected Johnson “Magazine Publisher of the Year.”
EBONY occasionally presented works by well-established literary figures such as Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks.
It also frequently published special issues, such as the 1963 one hundredth year commemoration of the Emancipation Proclamation, that highlighted issues deemed particularly relevant to African Americans.
EBONY first featured articles about notable African Americans such as celebrities and sports figures, and during the late 1950s ran Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s column, “Advice for Living By.”
By the 1960s, articles supporting civil rights appeared as the magazine provided reliable coverage of the civil rights movement as it unfolded across the United States. EBONY also discussed the increasing opportunities for African Americans, suggested ways to overcome obstacles, and encouraged the Black community to exhibit racial pride. “When you look at EBONY, you look at the history not just for Black people, but of the United States,” Bridgeman said. “I think it’s something that a generation is missing, and we want to bring that back as much as we can.”
By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
“He made me feel like a drug addict,” Dr. Susan Moore, 52, said on a video days before her death on December 22 due to coronavirus. The Black Indiana doctor states on a Facebook video that she had received poor treatment from White caregivers because she was African American. Her message reached over a million people on social media as of December 24. Dr. Moore died on December 20. “This is how Black people get killed, when you send them home and they don’t know how to fight for themselves,” Dr. Moore said on the video. Moore asserted that her doctor attempted to discharge her at ten at night. Moore’s Facebook live post received wide attention and a lengthy segment on Roland Martin Unfiltered on December 23. Dr. Moore knew what to ask for as she was being treated for coronavirus and strongly felt she was not receiving the best treatment. Moore said that despite telling her doctor that she was in pain she received medication after tests proved what she had been saying since she arrived at the hospital. “I put forth, and I maintain, if I was White, I wouldn’t have to go through that,” Moore said in her social media video. On December 24, The Grio reported that Indiana University Health Hospital, “addressed claims of mistreatment in how Dr. Susan Moore was treated in the days before her death.” Indiana University Health Hospital, in a statement said, “We are very sad to hear about her passing,” adding, “IU Health respects and upholds patient privacy and cannot comment on a specific patient, their medical history or conditions. As an organization committed to equity and reducing racial disparities in healthcare. We take accusations of discrimination very seriously and investigate every allegation.” Black people have died at 3.6 times the rate of White people, and Latinos at 2.5 times the rate of white people, according to an analysis by the Brookings Institution. Moore cared for her mother, who has dementia, and her 19-year old son. A GoFundMe page is hoping to raise $100,000 to assist the Moore family. It has raised over $109,000 so far. https://www.gofundme.com/f/dr-susan-moores-family-assistance?qid=0b67322adabedeba722b9f6d0429414b The coronavirus pandemic has hit the U.S. hard and has now become the most deadly event in U.S. history since the Civil War. Over 327,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 in 2020. An average of 2,000 people are dying a day in the U.S. due to coronavirus. Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist for NNPA and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE. She is also a political strategist as Principal of Win Digital Media LLC. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke
By: Bruce C.T. Wright, Newsone A Wisconsin district attorney on Tuesday declined to bring criminal charges against the officers involved in the police shooting of a Black man in his back at close range, including the cop who fired his gun. Jacob Blake was shot multiple times in the back by the Kenosha police in August. Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey is the one who fired off the shots that left the 29-year-old Black man paralyzed from the waist down. The incident was captured in a graphic video causing major protests. According to one local reporter, Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley based his decision against bringing any charges on what he said was a lack of proof that Sheskey was not truly defending himself, an incredulous proposition considering Blake had his back turned to the officer at the time of the shooting. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Blake and his family, described Graveley’s decision as a travesty of justice in a statement emailed to NewsOne. “We are immensely disappointed in Kenosha District Attorney Michael Gravely’s decision not to charge the officers involved in this horrific shooting. We feel this decision failed not only Jacob and his family, but the community that protested and demanded justice,” Crump said in part. “Officer Sheskey’s actions sparked outrage and advocacy throughout the country, but the District Attorney’s decision not to charge the officer who shot Jacob in the back multiple times, leaving him paralyzed, further destroys trust in our justice system. This sends the wrong message to police officers throughout the country. It says it is OK for police to abuse their power and recklessly shoot their weapon, destroying the life of someone who was trying to protect his children,” he added. Crump urged people to keep protesting peacefully for justice and vowed to “press forward with a civil lawsuit and fight for systemic change in policing and transparency at all levels.” Gravely reportedly shared his decision with Blake “minutes before” his press conference Tuesday. Reactions to the decision were absent of any real surprise despite ongoing nationwide protests against police violence and racism, which has proven to be a disproportionately deadly combination when it comes to Black suspects, in particular. Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is Black, said he was not “shocked,” called Gravely “negligent” and suggested the DA was not in touch with reality when he made his decision. Gravely tried to justify his decision by insisting that Blake said he was armed with a knife at the time of the shooting. Of course, Blake never wielded the knife or tried to use it against the police, but that apparently is beside the point to Gravely. Allegedly, the police e feared Blake was going to drive away with his children in the car. Gravely reminded reporters during the press conference that Blake has a history of domestic violence complaints. The decision came amid a string of deadly police shootings across the country, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmad Aub2. rey and a young Black man in Columbus, Ohio, shot in the back because cops mistook the sandwiches he was holding for a weapon.
Democrats appear on the brink of taking control of the U.S. Senate with Raphael Warnock the projected winner over Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Jon Ossoff leading Republican Sen. David Perdue in Georgia’s two Senate runoff elections. Around 2 a.m. ET Wednesday, the Associated Press projected Warnock the winner over Loeffler after the Atlanta pastor built his statewide lead to more than 46,500 votes. Warnock made history with his election win, becoming the first Black Democrat elected as a U.S. senator from a state in the South and only the 11th Black senator in the history of the nation. He becomes the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate race in Georgia in 20 years. “To everyone out there struggling today, whether you voted for me or not, know this,” Warnock said as he declared victory in a video from his home. “I hear you, I see you, and every day I’m in the United States Senate, I will fight for you. I will fight for your family.” Warnock, who leads Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler by more than 54,000 votes, is the projected winner in his race. Ossoff leads Republican David Perdue by 17,025. The Georgia Secretary of State says there are 62,000 mail-in votes, mostly from Democratic leaning Dekalb County that still need to be counted. There are also 5-10,000 provisional ballots that voters have until Friday to cure discrepancies to get these counted. There are also some military ballots that can be accepted and counted by Friday. When all the votes are counted we fully expect that Jon Ossoff will have won this election to represent Georgia in the United States Senate,” Ossoff campaign manager Ellen Foster said in a statement. “The outstanding vote is squarely in parts of the state where Jon’s performance has been dominant.” The Perdue campaign was not ready to concede. In a statement, the Perdue campaign said the race — as they expected – is “an exceptionally close election that will require time and transparency to be certain the results are fair and accurate and the voices of Georgians are heard. “We will mobilize every available resource and exhaust every legal recourse to ensure all legally cast ballots are properly counted. We believe in the end, Senator Perdue will be victorious.” Gabriel Sterling, Georgia voting system implementation manager, said he expects most ballots to be counted by Wednesday but for final counts will not be until Friday. Georgia election officials said turnout Tuesday shattered the previous record for a run-off in the state, including more than 3 million who voted early. Nearly $500 million was spent on campaign ads since Nov. 4, indicative of the significance both parties and special interests placed on the race. Following the playbook that helped Republicans retain control of the Senate after the general election, Loeffler and Perdue attacked their opponents as “radical socialists” and said the fate of nation was at stake with the race. Ossoff and Warnock slammed Loeffler and Perdue for being part of a Republican-controlled Senate that for months refused to pass additional federal coronavirus relief. The election of two Democratic Senators from Georgia will give the Democrats control of the U. S. Senate. Although there will be a 50 to 50 tie, Vice President Kamala Harris will be able to cast the deciding tie breaking vote as President of the Senate. This means that New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer takes over as Senate Majority leader from Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. The Democrats will control and be able to name committee chairs of all legislative committees. This also means that the Biden-Harris Administration will be able to have more success in passing its legislative agenda, approving cabinet and judicial appointees to the new Administration.
Dec. 28, 2020 (GIN) – As the year winds down, analysts are speculating about the biggest challenge facing Africa in the new year. It’s not what you might think. If you guessed Covid-19, you’d be wrong, says Alex Vines, director of regional and security studies at the London-based Chatham House. It’s a four letter word – a polite one – and it’s Debt. African debt will become a greater global concern in 2021 as many African states remain the world’s poorest and most fragile and have been hard hit by the economic and financial costs imposed by the pandemic, writes Vines in a recent editorial. There’s $5.4 billion owed in 2020 but which could be postponed. That however is a fraction of the $13.6 billion in interest and principal owed by sub-Saharan African states to creditors.
Pile that on top of $20-billion in private obligations, much of it owed to Chinese commercial creditors or Eurobond repayments. “2021 will be a slow recovery year for many African states, with increased unemployment and growing debts and reduced liquidity to provide public services,” Vines writes in the Mail & Guardian. “A few countries are likely to struggle – particularly Zambia, which in November became the first debt defaulter of the Covid-19 era. Angola and Namibia are also badly exposed. Zimbabwe is already in debt arrears and is not eligible for debt relief. A number of African states, such as Angola, Congo-Brazzaville and Equatorial Guinea, have been hit by a sharp down-turn in demand for their main export – oil. Angola will in 2020 have reached a debt to GDP ratio of just short of 120% – a lot of debt but little income. Prior to Covid-19, sub-Saharan Africa’s 48 countries included several of the world’s fastest-growing economies and a burgeoning middle class, but also remained mired in some regions by debt, conflict and protests, and plagued by elites clinging to power. Civilian-led reform movements toppled regimes in Algeria and Sudan in 2019 followed by messy transitions. Youth-led protests have clashed with government security forces, pushing for accountable government, such as the #EndSARS Movement in Lagos or the 11 November (Independence Day) demonstrations in Luanda. More protests should be expected in 2021. The year 2020 will, of course, be remembered for the COVID-19 pandemic. Many African countries have handled the public health effects of coronavirus well compared with neighboring continents, with some 55,000 related deaths and 2 million recovered out of a population of just over a billion – thanks to quick action and leadership by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, by public support and a youthful population. Despite these challenges, 2021 could be an important moment for a fresh start, with debt forgiveness offering greater pan-African prosperity and resilience for future generations. The African Development Bank agrees. “Africa is still a prime investment destination despite COVID-19,” said Tetsushi Sonobe of the Asian Development Bank at a recent webinar. “Investment opportunities still abound in Africa.”
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Marcia Fudge
Marcia Fudge, the Democratic Representative from Ohio and former Congressional Black Caucus Chair, will serve as the Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary under the incoming Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration. If confirmed, Fudge, 68, would count as only the second Black woman to lead HUD. Patricia Harris served in that role under President Jimmy Carter. “We are relieved knowing that the same determination Rep. Fudge brought to defending hungry families from cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will be brought to tackle one of the biggest looming threats facing Americans during this economic crisis: evictions and housing insecurity,” The CBC offered in a statement. Fudge, who currently serves on the House Committee on Agriculture, has a long history of championing civil and human rights. Her selection again shows that President-Elect Biden is keeping his campaign promise of a diverse cabinet and staff. On her December 11 remarks, Rep. Fudge reflected on the responsibilities she would assume as HUD Secretary.
“Our task at the Department of Housing and Urban Development will be to stand up for the dignity of all Americans and deliver the promise of our nation to all those left out in the cold… We will fight for housing in every community that is affordable, decent, and safe. We will help more Americans the secure dream of home ownership, to close the gaps of inequity, build wealth and pass it onto their children…But perhaps most importantly of all, we will help people believe once again, that their government cares about them no matter who they are. That we understand their problems.”
Elected to Congress in 2008, Rep. Fudge has represented Ohio’s 11th District that includes 32 cities, suburbs and towns in Ohio’s Cuyahoga and Summit Counties, including Cleveland, Akron, and Euclid. She is also a past Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Prior to her election to Congress, she served in the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, and broke racial and gender barriers as the mayor of Warrensville Heights. As its mayor, she focused on revitalizing both a sagging retail base and new residential construction. A lawyer by training, Congresswoman Fudge is a graduate of Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall School of Law, and earlier earned her bachelor’s degree in business from The Ohio State University. She is a Past National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and a member of its Greater Cleveland Alumnae Chapter. Numerous housing stakeholders also expressed support for the Fudge nomination including top industry leaders like the Mortgage Bankers Association, and the National Association of Home Builders. This corporate support is matched by that of lawmakers, consumer and affordable housing advocates as well.
“An unflagging advocate for civil rights, Fudge brings decades of experience as a public servant and a strong commitment to ensuring equitable access to credit, education, healthy food, clean environments and other resources, which go hand-in-hand with access to housing,” noted Lisa Rice, President and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance.
“Having served as mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, Fudge will bring a unique understanding of how HUD programs are implemented on the ground locally,” Rice said. “We are further encouraged by the incoming administration’s indication that its Day One priorities for HUD will include reinstating the 2015 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing and 2013 Disparate Impact rules.”
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading infectious disease doctor and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, addressed the African American community’s fears of accepting the new coronavirus vaccine. “To my African American brothers and sisters … this vaccine that you’re gonna be taking was developed by an African American woman. And that is just a fact,” Dr. Fauci proclaimed during a recent National Urban League event. Dr. Fauci noted that Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, a Black woman, has been at the forefront of the vaccine process. He added that it is vital to recognize the U.S.’s history of racism that’s led to great mistrust from the Black community. Dr. Fauci exclaimed that the vaccine is safe. “The very vaccine that’s one of the two that has absolutely exquisite levels – 94 to 95 percent efficacy against clinical disease and almost 100 percent efficacy against serious disease that are shown to be clearly safe – that vaccine was actually developed in my institute’s vaccine research center by a team of scientists led by Dr. Barney Graham and his close colleague, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, or Kizzy Corbett,” Dr. Fauci stated. Dr. Corbett, 34, is an accomplished research fellow and the scientific lead for the Coronavirus Vaccines & Immunopathogenesis Team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Vaccine Research Center (VRC). According to her biography, Dr. Corbett received a B.S. in Biological Sciences, with a secondary major in Sociology, in 2008 from the University of Maryland – Baltimore County, where she was a Meyerhoff Scholar and an NIH undergraduate scholar. She then enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she obtained her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology in 2014. A viral immunologist by training, Dr. Corbett is known for using her expertise to propel novel vaccine development for pandemic preparedness. Appointed to the VRC in 2014, her work focuses on developing novel coronavirus vaccines. Dr. Corbett has 15 years of expertise studying dengue virus, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza virus, and coronaviruses. Along with her research activities, Dr. Corbett is an active member of the NIH Fellows Committee and an avid advocator of STEM education and vaccine awareness in the community. “History books will celebrate the name and achievements of Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, the Black Woman who was the leader in developing the COVID-19 Vaccine,” Barbara Arnwine, president and founder of Transformative Justice Coalition, wrote on Twitter. “She developed the specific scientific approach to mitigating the coronavirus.” COVID-19 has disproportionately affected African Americans, who make up a large percentage of the more than 290,000 U.S. residents to die from the virus. One study released by the COVID Collaborative, the NAACP and UnidosUS revealed that 14 percent of Black Americans trust a vaccine will be safe, and 18 percent trust it will be effective. Much of the concern stems from pervasive racism in medical research and healthcare, notably the 1932 Tuskegee syphilis experiment. “I would say to people who are vaccine-hesitant that you’ve earned the right to ask the questions that you have around these vaccines and this vaccine development process,” Dr. Corbett told CNN. “Trust, especially when it has been stripped from people, has to be rebuilt in a brick-by-brick fashion. And so, what I say to people first is that I empathize, and then secondly is that I’m going to do my part in laying those bricks. And I think that if everyone on our side, as physicians and scientists, went about it that way, then the trust would start to be rebuilt.”
