First Lady McCray and Dr. Easterling – COVID-19 Vaccinations
First Lady Chirlane McCray is more than Mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio’s wife. She has made quite a name for herself based on her many individual accomplishments. While McCray has been known to be supportive of her husband, she continues to be active in the community and has her own causes that she champions. Chirlane McCray is a writer, educator, and activist. Ms. McCray is credited with creating Thrive NYC, a comprehensive mental health plan for New York to improve the delivery of mental health services to all New Yorkers. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity and during this Covid-19 pandemic, stepped up to promote vaccinations for all. First Lady Chirlane McCray received her vaccination publicly to encourage others to get vaccinated. To read more about First Lady Chirlane McCray see www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-may/first-lady-bio.page.
Dr. Torian Easterling is board certified in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine. He spent several years in a senior leadership role at the New York City Department of Health and was appointed to the position of First Deputy Commissioner and Chief Equity Officer at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Easterling went into Black communities to educate about Covid-19 and encourage Blacks to get vaccinated, as he noticed that although Blacks have been dying at an alarmingly higher rate than other groups, they were the least to get vaccinated. Dr. Easterling teamed up with First Lady Chirlane McCray to share information about Covid-19 and the vaccine with the greater community. He got his first vaccine shot publicly in order to encourage others to get vaccinated. See www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/about/press/pr2020/first-deputy-commissioner-chief-equity-officer.page to read more about Dr. Torian Easterling.
Interview with First Lady McCray and Dr. Easterling on “COVID-19 Vaccinations”