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Vicki Phillips 

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(Antelope Valley, CA) - - The California Association of African American Superintendents and Administrators along with Antelope Valley (AV) school districts and community-based organizations will launch a campaign to increase vaccination awareness among African Americans and other at-risk groups living in the AV. 

Entitled, “Let’s VAX, THEN Relax, “the campaign, funded by the Centers for Disease Control Foundation, will run through mid-April of 2022 and will utilize schools, churches, community-based organizations and businesses as information hubs about COVID-19, its impact on the community and the need to get vaccinated.

Outreach activities will be held throughout the AV, including five Town-Hall-style meetings, enabling residents to listen to the facts about COVID, ask questions of trusted medical professionals and hear stories from residents of all ages, who have been vaccinated or impacted by COVID-19. 

The first public meeting will be held on Saturday, July 31, 4 p.m. at Living Praise Christian Center,

2320 East Ave R in Palmdale, CA.

Register Here

“The number of unvaccinated African American and Latinx residents is significant, and lags behind those in other communities, according to LA County Department of Public Health statistics,” said Dr. Michele Bowers, CAAASA’s President-Elect and Superintendent, Lancaster School District. “We see this new vaccine awareness campaign as an extension of ongoing efforts within the AV are to provide at-risk residents with valuable information to protect themselves from the virus. We are hopeful the “Let’s Vax, THEN Relax” campaign, will help undecided residents understand the need to take COVID-19 seriously, even though many of the facets of everyday life have reopened.

“We are happy to partner with CAAASA in this effort to raise awareness of COVID-19,” said Rev. Braggs, Pastor of Peoples A.M.E Zion Church. “Congregations throughout the AV have indicated a willingness to do whatever they can to reduce vaccine hesitancy.”

Founded in 1993, CAAASA, an education equity and advocacy organization, works through collaboration, network-building and direct community engagement to promote the success of African American, Latinx and other underserved California K-12 public school students and families. CAAASA’s members include school superintendents, administrators, teachers and other educational professionals from throughout California; many of whom live and/or work in the AV area. Although its primary focus is education, CAAASA has been at the forefront of numerous issues impacting the health of the African American community. As soon as vaccines became available within LA County, CAAASA hosted a webinar with noted medical professionals, to address the concerns of African American students, families and education stakeholders.