Alaska Black Caucus launches COVID-19 awareness program
The Alaska Black Caucus (ABC), building on the momentum of their fight against COVID-19, has launched a grant-funded awareness campaign: "Vaccinate. It's not too late."
The new website features recorded video and audio conversations with local experts and medical professionals about COVID-19 in Alaska's BIPOC communities. It aims to empower and educate vaccine-hesitant individuals about making the critical decision to get vaccinated against the virus. To beat the virus, ABC says we must collectively come together as a community to seek out resources rooted in science and not fear.
Federal data shows African Americans and Latinx in the U.S. are three times more likely to contract COVID-19 than white residents.
Other data taken from Alaska's COVID-19 dashboard on December 6, 2021, shows that in Anchorage, between March 2020 and November 2021, Black people testing positive for COVID-19 were hospitalized 73% more than the general population. Data from the same date also shows that only 47.9% of Black people age five and older in Anchorage have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination, compared to 67% of the state's general population.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black Americans are nearly twice as likely to die from COVID-19 compared to white residents, making messaging about vaccinations all the more critical.
For 2022, the Alaska Black Caucus is working to bring plans for a downtown Anchorage Equity Center to fruition. The Center will provide office space, centralized services, and programs supporting the BIPOC community.
Building on seed money from the Anchorage Assembly ($437,500), ABC says a volunteer-led campaign raised donations to match grant funds provided by the organization's community partners. The Rasmuson Foundation donated $400,000 to renovate the building in Downtown Anchorage. Providence Hospital and KeyBank provided $50,000 each, and First National Bank contributed $25,000. Other partners and individuals have also donated funds, according to ABC.
Check out (and share) ABC's new COVID-19 website here.
