The director has a special BET in which he addresses difficult questions about COVID-19 and the vaccine, while addressing the concerns of the black community. We are approaching an open America, where quarantine mandates will be a thing of the past, but how far it is in the future remains unclear. The first rounds of COVID-19 vaccines have been distributed, and government officials hope everyone has access in the coming months. Within the black community, there have been conversations about the skepticism surrounding the vaccine, especially given the historical context of the use of black people as medical experiments in America. Tyler Perry hopes to allay these fears with his upcoming BET function, Covid-19 Vaccine and the Black Community: A Tyler Perry Special. Perry sat down with CBS this morning to talk about the special while sharing the reason why he decided to receive both doses of vaccine. “I don’t take this vaccine because I want you to get it, I want to give you the information so that you can make your own choices,” the media mogul said. “I think that’s what education and information is all about.” Perry acknowledges and this can “[raise] flags for us as African-Americans, “but he still believes education is key. The director admitted that he also did not trust the vaccine when it was first announced, but after doing his research, he felt more comfortable with this process. “I think it’s important for people to know that if you take your chances with Covid, you never know how it will affect you and could affect your long-term health.” Perry’s special is airing on BET on Thursday (January 28th) at 9pm. Watch his video with Gayle King below.
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