AND I THINK THAT WILL MAKE ALL
OF THE DIFFERENCE.
THANK YOU FOR BRINGING US THE
STORY AND HELPING US UNDERSTAND.
JOINING ME NOW IS THE CHIEF
CLINICAL DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
OFFICER AND HE IS THE ASSOCIATE
DEAN FOR EQUITY AND INCLUSION AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE.
WELCOME AND THANK YOU FOR BEING
HERE, BOTH OF YOU.
WE LISTENED TO A REPORT ABOUT
BEING NERVOUS ABOUT GETTING A
VACCINE.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO TRY TO
HELP CONVINCE PEOPLE THAT THIS
IS SAFE, THAT YOU’RE NOT BEING
SPEARMINT
EXPERIMENTED ON, YOU’RE GETTING
THE SAME VACCINE AS EVERYONE
ELSE AND THIS IS A MOMENT TO
TRUST THE GOVERNMENT?
>> THANK YOU FOR GIVING US AN
OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THIS
IMPORTANT SUBJECT.
WE’RE TELLING ALL OF THE PEOPLE
THAT WE ENCOUNT NEAR WE MADE
THIS COMMITMENT BECAUSE WE’RE
CLOSE TO THE COMMUNITY, THE
MEDICAL COMMUNITY, WE KNOW MANY OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE
OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE
VERY INVOLVED ASSIGNTISTS SCIENT
THIS IS THE MOST RAPID.
AND IT WAS DONE IN THE MOST
EFFICACIOUS WAY, AND ALL OF THE
OBJECTIVES THAT NEEDED TO BE MET
WERE MET AND WE WANT TO CONTINUE
TO TELL THAT STORY.
>> SINCE YOU BOTH HAVE THE SAME
LAST NAME, DR. MARGARET, YOU
BOTH GOT THE PFIZER VACCINE, BUT
AM I RIGHT TO THINK THAT YOU
THINK YOU GOT THE VACCINE AND
YOUR HUSBAND DID NOT GET THE
VACCINE BUT INSTEAD GOT A
PLACEBO?
>> I’M THE ONE THAT HAD A SORE
ARM FOR A GOOD SIGNIFICANT
PERIOD OF TIME AND HE SAID HE
MUST HAVE GOTTEN SALINE BECAUSE
HE DIDN’T FEEL ANYTHING AT ALL.
I WASN’T ILL, I JUST HAD A SORE
ARM, AND I THINK THAT IS PROOF
THAT THERE IS JUST NOT THE
SIDEFECTS THAT PEOPLE THINK
ABOUT.
EVERY DAY WE WAKE UP EVERY DAY
JUST TRYING TO BE BLACK IN THIS
COUNTRY.
AND THE ISSUE OF TAKING THIS
VACCINE IS SO IMPORTANT, AND
EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS THAT IT IS
THE SCIENCE THAT WE HAVE TO
TRUST.
SO THE SCIENCE IT WHAT WE HAVE
TO TRUST.
WE TRUSTED THE SCIENCE, WE KNOW
IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE, AND
WE WANT OUR FAMILY MEMBERS
AROUND US.
WE WANT OUR GRANDCHILDREN TO
GROW UP.
I KNOW THAT EVERYONE THAT LOOKS
LIKE ME FEELS THE SAME WAY.
I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO TAKE THE
VACCINE.
>> LET ME FOLLOW UP ON THAT WHEN
YOU’RE CONFRONTED WITH PEOPLE
GETTING DISINFORMATION ON SOCIAL
MEDIA, THERE IS SOME NASTY STUFF
ABOUT VICIOUS LIES.
I JUST HEARD ABOUT ONE A MOMENT
AGO.
PEOPLE SAY WHAT ABOUT THE
TUSKEGEE EXPERIMENTS, HOW DO YOU
CONVINCE THEM THAT YES, I
UNDERSTAND YOUR EXCEPT SCHISMSKE
NO THIS IS A MOMENT TO TRUST.
DO YOU SHOW THEM WHERE YOU GOT
THE SHOT IN THE ARM?
HOW DO YOU LOOK THEM IN THE EYE
AND GET THEM TO TRUST YOU?
>> WE WERE PART OF TUSKEGEE.
WE LIVED THERE, MY HUSBAND WAS
THERE.
WE SAW THE EFFECTS OF WHAT
HAPPENED TO THE MEN, WOMEN, AND
CHILDREN.
THE FEAR IS REAL NAP IS WHAT WE
HAVE TO UNDERSTAND.
WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT IS
REAL, AND WE HAVE TO ALSO
ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE HAVE COME A
LONG WAY.
TRUST THE SCIENCE AND MOVE
FORWARD.
WE HAVE TO TRUST THE SCIENCE IF
WE WANT TO SURVIVE THIS AND WE
ALWAYS HAVE TO COME BACK TO
THAT.
WE LIVE THIS LIFE, WE LIVED
THROUGH POLIO.
WE KNOW WHAT IT CAN DO TO NAMES.
AFRICAN-AMERICANS, PEOPLE OF
COLOR, THIS IS WHAT THEY NEED TO
DO, TRUST THE SCIENCE, TAKE THE
VACCINE.
>> WHAT ABOUT YOU?
>> IT IS VERY UNLIKELY THAT WE
WILL HAVE ANOTHER TUSKEGEE
EXPERIMENT.
I USE THAT WORD VERY
SPECIFICALLY.
REALLY THIS IS NOT SOMETHING
THAT WE ARE DOING IN THE MEDICAL
COMMUNITY.
WE’RE NOT EXPERIMENTS ON PEOPLE
ANY MORE.
WE’RE NOT DOING OBSERVATIONAL
STUDIES, AND WE’RE NOT KEEPING
SECRETS AS THEY DID IN THE
TUSKEGEE EXPERIMENT.
I THINK THAT WE ARE EDUCATING
AND DEVELOPING VERY HONORABLE
PEOPLE WHO WILL NOT -- WHO
ALWAYS HONOR THEIR OATH, TO DO
NO HARM, HEAL PEOPLE, TAKE CARE
OF PEOPLE, AND NOT TELL THEM
THEY’RE TAKING CARE OF THEM WHEN
THEY’RE NOT.
WE CAN’T ATONE FOR THAT TRAGEDY,
BUT WE HAVE TO PRESERVE THE
OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO
SURVIVE BEYOND WHAT THE PANDEMIC
IS DOING AT THIS POINT.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, BOTH OF