'It's not the science we distrust; it's the scientists': Reframing the anti-vaccination movement within Black communities

Abstract

The anti-vaxx movement is often associated with conspiracy theories and dismissed as being 'anti-science'. However, scepticism from Black communities must not be read as being 'anti-science', but rather 'anti-scientist' due to endemic racism in medical communities and structural inequalities in healthcare. Since slavery and its aftermath - such as through the case of Henrietta Lacks, and now through the Covid-19 pandemic - the devaluation of Black life has been highlighted through the failure to acknowledge and address health disparities amongst racialised and Black peoples [primarily in the United States]. Although the development of a vaccine is an important step in fighting Covid-19, its development and distribution need to be done so safely and in conjunction with addressing the needs and concerns of Black communities, who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

Keywords: Covid-19; anti-vaccination; medical apartheid; racism; vaccine.