Walter Kimbrough clinical trials
Dr. Walter Kimbrough Jr., president of United Methodist-related Dillard University, volunteered for clinical trials to test COVID-19 vaccines.
Welcome to the start of February and the beginning of Black History Month. This year’s observance is taking on a special urgency in the aftermath of 2020’s racial turmoil and the continued race-based inequities being uncovered by the coronavirus pandemic.
The latest outrage is news that the coronavirus vaccine rollout is missing a lot of Black communities, the very group that has been most affected by coronavirus. The Associated Press reports: “An early look at the 17 states and two cities that have released racial breakdowns finds that Black people are getting inoculated at levels below their share of the general population, Carla K. Johnson, Angeliki Kastanis and Kat Stafford report.”
Part of the disparity can be attributed to the lesser availability of medical care in Black communities. However, another major contributing factor is what AP calls “deep mistrust of the medical establishment among Black Americans because of a history of discriminatory treatment.” AP cites as a prime example the slow start of immunizations in Tuskegee, Ala., caused by “lingering distrust of medicine linked to a 40-year government study there that used unknowing Black men as guinea pigs to study syphilis.”
Paul Blest of VICE reported: “Data released by New York City on the roughly 657,000 people who’ve received at least one dose of vaccine shows that although Black New Yorkers make up 24% of the city’s population, they only make up 11% of adults who’ve received a vaccine for whom racial data has been reported, and 9% of those 65 and older who've received a vaccine. Latinos, who make up 29% of the city’s population, have received 15% of the vaccines where racial data was reported. (The city said data was missing for 40% of those who’ve received the vaccine.)”
Black leaders are stepping up to reassure communities and enhance vaccine availability. In Tuskegee, AP reports, 90-year-old attorney Fred Gray, who represented syphilis victims in a successful lawsuit, got vaccinated, emphasizing that the syphilis study and the COVID-19 vaccine are totally different public health situations. Some Black United Methodist leaders previously had volunteered to participate in vaccine trials, including Dr. Walter Kimbrough Jr., president of Dillard University in New Orleans, La., and Dr. James Hildreth, CEO and president of UMC-related Meharry Medical School in Nashville, Tenn. Black congregations are opening their doors to be vaccination sites, reports Adelle M. Banks of Religion News Service.
Religion & Race offers Lenten study
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, and the General Commission on Religion and Race has a free Lenten resource to help small groups grow closer to God.The Lenten biblical reflection, Roll Down, Justice!, written by Faye Wilson and featuring the music and reflections of Mark A. Miller, poses the following questions to believers:
- What are you prepared to give in order to have a closer walk with God?
- What can you give in order to embrace anew the work of justice?
Mark Miller
Mark Miller
According to a press release, Roll Down, Justice! is based on six songs by noted United Methodist composer Mark Miller that are included in the book/CD set Roll Down, Justice! – Sacred Songs and Social Justice. The songs in the Lenten series are offered as six videos, and each video includes a guide for study:
Session 3: I Dream of a Church
Session 5: God Has Work for Us to Do
Black History Month resources
DSC RACE logo
Desert Southwest Conference wasted no time last year in tackling the issue of racism in the United States. At its 2020 session, conference leaders formed a coalition called RACE, which stands for “Reflection, Action, Courageous Dialogue, Engagement.” For the past six months RACE has collected resources for local churches to use in their response to pervasive racism. Now the coalition has invited Desert Southwest United Methodists to help expand the number and type of resources as the campaign to eradicate racism continues. If your conference or local church is seeking ideas for how to confront racism, check out RACE’s February resources.
Another new resource, Anti-Racism Daily, is holding a curated online exhibition, “28 Days of Black History,” described as a “daily curated guide of works that exemplify the Black legacy. Sign up here: 28daysofblackhistory.com.
‘Where Love Lives’ offers resources for February
While February focuses on Black History, The Western Jurisdiction's "Where Loves Lives" Campaign against LGBTQ prejudice is continuing this month with messages and resources from the California-Nevada Conference. According to a press release, a series called “Monday School” will feature California-Nevada leaders offering biblical and theological training on the acceptance of LGBTQ persons. The first installment features California-Nevada’s Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño. Upcoming Monday School sessions will include Conference Lay Leader Micheal Pope, the Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Kah-Jin Kuan, President, Claremont School of Theology and Rev. Samuel Yun, Pastor, Embrace Church, California-Nevada Conference. You can also learn more about the Where Love Lives Campaign on the Greater Northwest Area website.
Media Mentions as of Feb. 1, 2021
REMINDER: Anti-Racism as a Spiritual Practice, Season Two – Religion News Service
Florida church says offering free beach parking is a religious act. Judge agrees – Religion News Service
Sanctuary movement leaders sue U.S., claiming religious rights violated – United Press International
Republican lawmakers push to make Texas’ anti-abortion laws among the most restrictive in the nation – The Texas Tribune
Christian nationalism is a threat, and not just from Capitol attackers invoking Jesus – USA Today
Some Southern Baptist pastors are calling Kamala Harris ‘Jezebel.’ What do they mean? – Religion News Service