Columbus Urban League Partners with OhioHealth to expand Vaccine Distribution Equity

Brittany Jackson sat outside the Columbus Urban League (Columbus, OH) on Saturday, chatting quietly with the nurse administering her first shot of Pfizer vaccine in the King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood on the NEast Side.

Sporting a "God Is Dope" T-shirt written in highlighter green, Jackson offered a thumbs up and a smile that crinkled the eyes above her mask. How did it feel to finally receive the vaccine? 

"On deck," she said with a laugh, as the soft beats of Spotify's "Soul Coffee" playlist echoed across the parking lot.

The 34-year-old was one of 240 people to receive the coronavirus vaccine through the "pop-up" COVID-19 vaccination clinic over the weekend, courtesy of a partnership between the Columbus Urban League and OhioHealth.

Stephanie Hightower, the Urban League's President and CEO, said she wanted to ensure there was more opportunity for Black and brown folks — especially working-class individuals who cannot afford to take off work in the middle of the week — to be vaccinated.

People of color, specifically African-Americans, have been historically undeserved, and the Black community has well-documented, legitimate doubts about the medical community's intentions after government experiments like the Tuskeegee study, Hightower said.

"White people are getting vaccinated 23 to 24 times greater than Black people," she said. "Yes, there is some hesitancy around the vaccine because of the mistrust, but the other part of this is also about access." 

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