Kqeds Forum

To help fight disparate testing and vaccination rates within the Black community, organizers realized they would need grassroots activism. That’s when Dr. Kim Rhoads, an epidemiologist at UCSF, turned to filmmaker Kevin Epps, who directed the documentaries “Straight Outta Hunters Point” and “The Black Rock” and is a trusted Bay Area community member. Working with Umoja Health, a partnership that includes a dozen community organizations, UCSF and the Alameda County Health department, Rhoads and Epps have been able to help reach residents at higher rates than other sites aimed at underserved communities. We’ll talk to them both about their work and the importance of community activism.