Presence Is Not Inclusion: Race and Ethnic Disparities in Florida’s Vaccine Distribution

Presence is not Inclusion April 19, 2021 Florida has very large racial and ethnic disparities in its administration of COVID-19 vaccines, despite having a significant number of majority-minority counties and a large number of Black and Latinx residents overall. The lack of a state-wide vaccine equity plan allows these disparities to occur and reflects a lack of commitment by the state to an equitable distribution plan. The Latinx population has experienced a disproportionate share of COVID-19 cases in Florida. Figure 1 below shows that the Latinx COVID-19 case rate (37%) is ten percentage points higher than their share of the

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The Need to Prioritize Equity: Race and Vaccinations in Arkansas

The Need to Prioritize Equity: Race and Vaccinations in Arkansas April 9, 2020 As of April 8, 2021, the State of Arkansas has only administered 67% of its received vaccines. This vaccine administration rate is 13 percentage points below the nation’s average rate (80%). In addition to Arkansas’s poor performance in vaccine administration, it has also performed poorly with respect to vaccine equity. Although all counties in Arkansas have roughly similar vaccination rates, this pattern does not produce equity in vaccine distribution nor ensure that those most at risk for serious harm by COVID-19 get priority in access to the

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LDF’s Lawsuit Challenging Georgia’s Voter Suppression Law

After Georgia voters turned out in record numbers for the 2020 presidential election and U.S. Senate elections in early 2021, state legislators passed S.B. 202, a sweeping racially discriminatory and other unconstitutional and illegal omnibus law that by its individual and collective provisions disenfranchises voters, particularly voters of color. On March 30 2021, LDF and civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit challenging Georgia’s sweeping new voter suppression law, S.B. 202, that will restrict access to voting and disproportionately burden voters of color, new citizens and religious communities. The lawsuit describes how S.B. 202 violates voter protections under the 14th

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COVID-19 Vaccinations in Alabama: Protecting and Perpetuating a Racial Divide

COVID-19 Vaccinations In Alabama: Protecting and Perpetuating a Racial Divide  April 2, 2021 Black residents in Alabama have the highest rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the state but the lowest vaccination rates. White residents are overrepresented among Alabamians receiving the COVID-19 vaccinations, while Black residents are underrepresented. In Alabama, state and local administration choices to overlook majority Black communities and inefficiencies in vaccine distribution are the driving forces behind the low levels of COVID-19 vaccinations within the Black community.  Alabama continues to have a low level of vaccine distribution. Between December 14, 2020, and March 26, 2021, Alabama

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Are We There Yet?: Chicago’s Vaccine Administration Decreases Racial Inequities but Continues to Exclude the Black Neighborhoods Most Vulnerable to COVID-19

Chicago’s Vaccine Administration Decreases Racial Inequities but Continues to Exclude the Black Neighborhoods Most Vulnerable to COVID-19 March 26, 2021 The city of Chicago, IL, used an equity lens to plan its vaccine distribution strategy early in the vaccine administration process. Observations of the city’s successes and challenges reveal significant insights into the dynamics of racial disparities in vaccine uptake. First, we can see from Chicago’s example that targeted interventions to reduce racial disparities in vaccine uptake are effective. Second, Chicago’s experience reveals that communities highly vulnerable to COVID-19 may require different or additional interventions from moderately vulnerable communities. Finally,

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Our Nation’s Water Systems Are Failing and Black Communities Are Bearing the Brunt

Our Nation’s Water Systems Are Failing and Black Communities Are Bearing the Brunt By Coty Montag Former Senior Counsel and Thurgood Marshall Institute Researcher For weeks in March 2021, residents of Jackson, Mississippi, were forced to obtain water from distribution sites to flush their toilets, bathe, and drink. In mid-February 2021 a winter storm brought freezing temperatures to the city. The bitter cold hampered the operation of water treatment plants, causing pressure to plummet and making the water unsafe to drink. By the second week of March, while water pressure had returned to some parts of the city, Jackson was

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