1. Flip the narrative: Focus on building vaccine confidence rather than addressing vaccine hesitancy (there’s something to be said of working towards a positive goal)
2. Understand the intersectionality in communities of color: Not all reasons on reluctance to get the vaccine are the same, understand the diverse culture, religion, and historic distrust/mistrust within communities of color
3. Normalize the angst: Do not trivialize their reasons, concerns are real and must be treated as such; listen, acknowledge, empathize, and share transparent information on efficacy and side effects of vaccines
4. Approach cannot be one size fit all: If there is no one reason for not getting the vaccine, there cannot be a single approach to building confidence. Develop multi-faceted messaging and protocols to support confidence building.
5. Who is your messenger? In my opinion, the messenger is more important than the message. In communities of color, representation matters, and perception is reality. “To understand my concerns, you must have the same lived experience”.
6. Take a holistic care approach: We need to show we care beyond vaccines, identify social needs, and connect with community resources.
7. Plan for the long haul: It’s not going to happen overnight; a 2 week campaign in a community is not going to cut it; rebuilding trust takes time.

Lastly, there is a combination of factors that contribute to the significance of the number 7; some of which are cultural, historical, religious, and psychological among others. My list however, is not directly related to any of those, it simply matches my memory capacity.

What is your perspective? comment below and lets get the conversation going.

Its a RAP (Respect science, Address systemic racism, Promote awareness of ethnic and racial health disparities)