are quintessential in that they are connected to one another, even when we think about the biblical texts of Genesis 1:1, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
And we find this even from Scripture, we get the book of Acts, and it says then all the people who will want to pour, they were gathered in the same place. And when they were of one accord, that’ s when the Spirit came. And so, part of this work is getting people to be of one accord. So that we can do the life-saving work that we’ re called to do. And when we do that, it’ s been very, very effective.
And I think that’ s where grassroots organizing can be one of the most effective methods because it’ s really about not just being grassroots, but it’ s about being the grass. It’ s about being the root. It’ s about saying, I’ m going to be here when COVID-19 is over. I’ m going to be over here and profile the grass and be life sustaining to you when this is over. So again, it’ s not just about the shot, but it’ s about the long term systemic, cultural, economic, physical impact. That happened after the shot.
Then it was the need to go into very micro targeted community for outreach. I participated in direct faithbased engagement, town halls and webinars; for students, for parents, and for families that participated in town halls that are specific to certain communities of color. When we’ re talking about the Latinx population, when we’ re talking about the LGBTQ population, when we’ re talking about those who are in racial ethnic categories that extend beyond our norm, some of the Pan African community.
talked about facilitation, and facilitators. We’ ve seen our fighters emerge, like Dr. Abraham with his fight to ensure that vaccines were available in the South Los Angeles area. We’ ve seen the fight and the pivot at Charles Drew University with Professor Cynthia Davis, and the effort of switching to a street medicine team. We’ ve seen the involvement of the community response system of South Los Angeles, which has over 30 partnership networks.
We saw our churches and faith leaders come together to host mobile vaccination clinics assuring seniors and their congregants were vaccinated. We saw political officials at the city level at the count of us working together, working collaboratively to ensure that vaccination clinics work available in their in their districts or in their council districts.
Because when we’ re getting vaccinated, it’ s really not about us, it’ s about the person that we don’ t know, because we’ re dealing with a virus that impacts in every individual in a different way. And I may be asymptomatic, or I may have mild symptoms, but I may give it to my neighbor, and they end up on a ventilator. When we think it about from Scripture, when it says to the greatest commandment, that you love your neighbor as you love yourself. Getting vaccinated is a selfless act.
Alaska Native American communities need webinars and town halls and informational events that are directly targeted toward those people. And so, I’ ve been privileged to be able to participate and share about COVID-19 in a series of different meetings, that have to do with very micro targeting population conversations.
I believe that we’ ve learned in the midst of COVID-19 that we have more resources than we think in terms of individuals, organizations, communities, churches, political entities, coming together to work collectively on problem. COVID-19 brought the world together for a common cause.
We’ ve seen new leadership emerge, we’ ve seen new organizations emerge, we’ ve seen restoration and healing and reconciliation emerge. In terms of we
CDU College of Medicine | PG. 24