Creative Voices in Pursuit of Vaccine Equity

In fall 2021, BPM partnered with the National Network to Innovate for COVID-19 and Adult Vaccine Equity (NNICE) to explore media strategies for overcoming the problem of vaccine hesitancy among Blacks and Latinos in the United States. NNICE is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as part of their National Partnering for Vaccine Equity Initiative.

BPM's role in the partnership is to facilitate the creation of pro-vaccine media stories. To that end, we are hosting a series of Black Media Story Summits in select parts of the country so that Black and Latino creatives (e.g., filmmakers, creative technologists and other media storytellers), health care professionals and other stakeholders can exchange information and ideas on how to overcome adult vaccine hesitancy in BIPOC communities. Story Summit participants are tasked with formulating community messages that show potential for boosting vaccination receptivity.

After each summit, participating creatives are invited to submit proposals for funding up to $60K to develop messages/stories for the local community. Production grants are awarded to those media makers who submit the most compelling short-form production proposals.

Ultimately, we look forward to helping local creatives focus their talents on raising community acceptance of vaccines as a practice of overall wellness.  The first summit was held last winter in Baltimore. The upcoming Summit, scheduled for Friday, March 3, 2023, involves communities in Michigan and Eastern North Carolina.