No abstract

COVID-19 data reveals that the disease has disproportionately affected the Black community, yet the lowest vaccination rates can be found among this demographic. A myriad of factors can explain this health disparity, but structural barriers such as availability and vaccine apprehension amongst the Black community emerge as two primary reasons. Despite targeted outreach, traditional health campaigns directed at the Black community did not yield results; many argue this was due to the community’s history of medical exploitation and rightful distrust of the medical sector. Instead, the Black community turned to popular culture as a primary means of health information. In turn, Juvenile’s classic song “Back That Thang Up” was repurposed into a vaccine anthem—“Vax That Thang Up.” The PSA, which infuses hip-hop, health promotion, and the power of music videos, sparked controversy and has over 3 million views on YouTube. These considerations serve as the basis of this study, which will interrogate the intersection of health communication and pop culture, in relation to the music video—“Vax That Thang Up.” The researchers will employ the culture-centered approach to unpack how the music video disrupted traditional aspects of health communication campaigns.

No abstract

The right to protest and freedom of expression are core principles of democracy; however, on January 6th, 2021, the right to protest spiraled into a full-fledged assault on American ideals. While the smoke was still smoldering, millions were left dumbfounded—the actions were way beyond a traditional protest, instead, the attack on January 6th was classified as an insurrection. Months prior, during the Summer of 2020, then President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 to curb the mostly peaceful Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests. Thus, a clear paradox emerges. On one hand, an unjustified insurrection was met with minimal force, but on the other hand, peaceful protests against state-sanctioned murder were quelled almost immediately. To hypothesize about the insurrection of January 6th without examining the racism and racial privilege embedded in the actions would be immoral; this is especially true considering the historical importance of slave insurrections in advancing Black liberation. Thus, we argue that advancing the narrative of the January 6th insurrection as justified is a disservice to the legacy of protests, rebellions, and insurrections. Utilizing Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a framework, the article analyzes and compares the BLM protests against the insurrection of January 6th and draws attention to ways in which race served as a tool of oppression. The insurrection of January 6th, along with the rhetorical construction and justification of the events that unfolded that day, is steeped in privilege and white supremacy—luxuries that were not afforded to racial justice protests.