Need Statement
Black, Indigenous, and other persons of color have long suffered an array of health inequities. Due to a combination of factors, these communities have experienced higher hospitalization due to COVID-19, higher disease severity upon admission, and higher rates of death. Vaccination is currently one of the strongest resources to drive pandemic recovery and prepare for future threats. Unfortunately, COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy and misinformation remain one of the biggest posed threats for individual participation in this resource.

How did you specifically address the problem listed in your needs statement?
We addressed the problem through a combination of virtual/telephone vaccine educational programming; virtual community/town hall dialogues; and community vaccination events.

What qualitative and/or quantitative evaluation metrics did you examine?
Confidence in COVID-19 vaccines, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy concerns, COVID-19-related misinformation, and personal stories.

What community partners and allies did you work with to address the problem?
Doors of Hope, The Pantry, The United Way, Interfaith Compassion Ministries, Oxford Community Market, Oxford Housing Authority, Oxford-Lafayette NAACP, Juneteenth Festival Committee, UM NAACP. Minority Association of Pre-Med Students, Men of Excellence, ESTEEM, National Panhellenic Council, Black Student Union, and the Office of Diversity & Community Engagement.

What community resources did you develop?
We developed an online resource guide (https://s4sepandemicrecovery.onuniverse.com) and a COVID-19 Vaccine 101 infographic.

How did you use social media or digital tools for outreach and/or data collection?
We utilized social media to push information about events and to disseminate our infographic (in addition to our on-site events.)

How does this project lead to greater racial equity?
We believe that people will be able to apply the information we were able to observe about community-level COVID-19 acceptance and build trust in spaces where it is lacking regarding their effectiveness for pandemic recovery.