'Truth and healing’: Jamaal Bowman's prescription to overcome vaccine skepticism in Black America

In interview, the Democratic New York congressman-elect says suspicion communicates the lack of trust African Americans feel towards American institutions'

An emerging leader of the progressive wing of the Democratic party has argued that politicians must act as role models as part of a concerted effort to combat skepticism of the Covid-19 vaccine, particularly among some Black Americans.

Congressman-elect Jamaal Bowman, the progressive New York Democrat who defeated longtime incumbent congressman and outgoing House foreign affairs committee chairman Eliot Engel, voiced his concerns in a short but expansive interview with the Guardian. Those concerns coincide with reports of suspicion in the Black community over taking coronavirus vaccines when available.