Black Public Media (BPM) has allocated over $160,000 in funding to three projects aimed at addressing vaccine hesitancy in Michigan and North Carolina. The projects, set for completion this fall, comprise a podcast and two short films, targeting expected surges in COVID and flu cases.
Antonio Alanis, a Mexican-American artist from Durham, North Carolina, was granted $40,880 for his podcast series, Me vacuno porque… (I got vaccinated because…), which aims at fostering vaccine equity among North Carolina’s Spanish-speaking Latinx community.
These winning projects originated from proposals submitted by creative individuals who attended BPM’s Black Media Story Summit – Michigan and North Carolina in March 2023. BPM’s story summits foster innovative approaches to media story development, addressing critical issues affecting Black communities in the U.S.
Since fall 2021, BPM has partnered with the National Network to Innovate for COVID-19 and Adult Vaccine Equity (NNICE) on a three-year project to generate media stories boosting vaccination rates within Black communities. NNICE, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), facilitates the creation of compelling production proposals via the National Partnering for Vaccine Equity Initiative.
Michigan State University assistant professor Heatherlun Uphold said, “What began as an effort to combat hesitancy against the COVID-19 vaccine has helped us realize that more education about vaccination against the flu and other illnesses is needed as well,” – Qiona Woffard, special programs manager of Black Public Media. “We are looking forward to seeing the projects that are being developed through Black Public Media’s Black Media Story Summits come to fruition so that we can continue to reach diverse populations with accurate information on vaccination and create healthier communities.”
