New documentary targets Black community, claims public health can’t be trusted

Black Americans have less access to vaccination and are dying at higher rates.

originally published by the Public Health Communications Collaborative

Black Americans are dying at much higher rates and are less likely to have access to vaccination in the first place. This particular disinformation effort is both misleading in content and abhorrent for its indifference to human suffering.

March 5, 2021 | Misinformation Alert ⚠

Children's Health Defense, a US-based nonprofit known for its vaccine skepticism, led by well-known vaccine skeptic Robert F Kennedy, Jr., has released a documentary film titled "Medical Racism: The New Apartheid." The documentary focuses on the legacy of unethical treatment of Black communities and individuals in the United States by the medical and public health fields, promoting the idea that the government has a long history of experimenting on the Black community and therefore generally should not be trusted. The film suggests vaccines are a form of "medical abuse" of people of color.

The film is being widely shared by anti-vaccine, anti-science, anti-government, and conspiracy groups. Accompanying the film are readymade marketing materials, such as shareable images, that claim pharmaceutical companies are targeting communities of color. Leaders of the anti-vaccine movement openly discuss their intention to target Black communities for conversion to their views. Anti-vaccine leaders have in recent years made appearances at Black events for social justice, and spoken with Black community leaders and to Black community-based organizations.

Recommendation:  Ignore 

Focusing on anti-vaccine and anti-government talking points, in this case, could distract from priority talking points regarding vaccine safety and efficacy, the equity of vaccine distribution, disproportionate risk of mortality from COVID-19 among African Americans, and structural racism. Make an effort to reach out to communities that have valid reasons for their concerns. Be careful not to conflate vaccine inaccessibility with vaccine hesitancy.

Fact Checking Source(s): businessinsider.com, theconversation.com, snopes.com, khn.org, businessinsider.com