The Atlantic

I’m a Black Doctor. My Mom Still Won’t Get Vaccinated.

I’m frustrated, but I can’t really blame her. Here’s why.
Source: Bryan Anselm / Redux

Months of cajoling and pressure haven’t worked. Neither has bringing home the COVID-19 vaccine and offering to administer it myself. I got my own vaccine as soon as I could—as did my husband and sons—with little to no side effects.

Yet my mother, a 93-year-old Black woman, still won’t get vaccinated.

Her excuses vary. One day she’ll insist, “I don’t know what’s in it,” even though I’ve explained it to her in detail. Another day: “I already have too many medications in my body,” or “I’m just not comfortable with it.” What she hasn’t said, but what I think is really the point: She doesn’t trust the medical system. And if

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