The fact that the coronavirus still affects communities of color makes it evident that many people still don’t have trust in the medical sciences.
Unfortunately, healthcare professionals find it difficult to remove the distrust. Perhaps the difficulty lies in the complexity of medical terms being showered on ordinary people. Hence, it’s essential to find a platform that delivers the importance of vaccines and boosters.
The said platform must be understandable and relatable to communities of color for it to be effective. The people behind Hip-Hop Public Health (HHPH) turned to rap music.
Community Immunity: All About The Booster
“Community Immunity” is a rap anthology that promotes the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine. During World Immunization Week, HHPH released “All About The Booster.” The song encourages vaccine literacy to all people.
“All About The Booster” is created in partnership with the Institute for Health Equity Research (IHER). The rap song is funded by the National Institutes of Health’s Community Engagement Alliance (NIH-CEAL). The lyrics are written and performed by Joni Holifield.
The Community Immunity track, on the other hand, is recorded by Grammy-winning artist DMC (Darryl McDaniels) of RUN-DMC. DMC is an HHPH Advisory Board Member.
DMC’s Rap
The song starts with an animated version of DMC driving around the neighborhood while singing about getting the vaccine. He raps, “We can get back to normal / let me inform you / let’s all get the vaccine.” Essentially, All About The Booster’s lyrics revolve around the fact that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe –– not just for the people receiving the shot but also for the entire community.
The animated video is only a part of the Community Immunity anthology.Â
About Hip-Hop Public Health
Founded by Dr. Olajide Williams of Columbia University and Doug E. Fresh, Hip-Hop Public Health is a well-known non-profit organization that uses the power of music, science, and culture to encourage health literacy and promote health equity.
Dr. Williams is an expert in community-based behavioral intervention research.
HHPH already has a decade and a half of experience creating science-based content. Their content, especially the entire Community Immunity series, has evidence-based facts. This makes it a reliable resource for behavior change and health promotion.
The Goal of the Community Immunity
According to Dr. Williams, “COVID-19 is the most urgent global challenge we face today.” He adds, “if we can encourage 80% of the population to get vaccinated, we can achieve the community-wide immunity we need for social activities to return to normal.”
Indeed, there’s a need for people to know the importance of vaccines against COVID-19.
As a result, the primary purpose of the Community Immunity anthology series is to increase vaccine literacy. To achieve this, people must know these critical points:
- The vaccine is safe.
- No shortcuts were taken when developing the vaccine.
- Getting a vaccine is also an act of community service.
Receive the Vaccine and a Booster Now!
Since communities of color are greatly affected by the pandemic, it’s crucial to have vaccine literacy, change their attitude towards vaccines in general, and get vaccinated or have a booster shot.
With the help of Hip-Hop music, which is something everyone can relate to, hopefully, plenty of people will get vaccinated.
