Kelly Hayes
The Florida Council on Black Men and Boys met on Tuesday to discuss priorities amid the rollout of vaccines and recent start of the Legislative Session.
The panel is working on crafting a PSA campaign to reach Belle Glade residents and inform them of vaccination sites and resources, panel chair Jerome Hill said.
Belle Glade is a small, predominantly African American town within Palm Beach County in South Florida.
Palm Beach County has received criticism for its disproportionate vaccine rollout. As far as the county’s demographics, 19.8% its population is Black, and yet, Black individuals make up less than 4% of its vaccinated residents, according to Florida Department of Health vaccine data.
Of the 309,080 individuals vaccinated in the county, 208,869 are White, and only 13,093 are Black.
Despite only accounting for 4% of those vaccinated in the county, Black residents make up 18% of total COVID-19 deaths reported in Palm Beach, according to Florida Department of Health data.
The vaccine disparity is an issue the panel hopes to address with this PSA series, which it plans to promote via radio and print media.
During the meeting, the panel also discussed the creation of a research coordinator position, which it plans on filing an appropriations request for via Sen. Perry Thurston.
The request plans on asking for $150,000, which would account for the salary of the new position, research and funds for travel and supplies.
“I’m pretty confident that we will be appropriating this funding,” Hill said at the meeting. “And with that being said, I want to make sure that we’re in the best position possible to make sure our feet are running as we hit the ground.”
The Florida Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys was established in 2006 by the Florida Legislature in order to study conditions negatively affecting black males in the state. The Council is housed in the Office of the Attorney General and has a 19 member board.
