ÎçҹѰ»¨

This website uses cookies to ensure site visitors get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies and Privacy Statement. To find out more, please visit ÎçҹѰ»¨'s .

I agree

SU System launches statewide COVID-19 vaccine campaign for minority groups

The ÎçҹѰ»¨ System will launch a statewide campaign today to encourage Black and other racial minority groups to get vaccinated against COVID-19.  The campaign, “Don’t Wait. Vaccinate!,” is a response to disappointing data that continues to reveal that ethnic minorities, who are disproportionately affected, are not getting vaccinated at a rate large enough to overcome this global pandemic. Joining Southern are the ÎçҹѰ»¨ Alumni Federation, more than 100 faith-based individuals and associations, as well as civic, fraternal, and social organizations. A press conference detailing the campaign will be held today at 10 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors Meeting Room on the campus of ÎçҹѰ»¨ and A&M College. The press conference will be streamed live at .

“As the only historically Black university system in the country, located right here in Louisiana, it is our obligation to ensure that African-Americans and other ethnic minorities are well informed about the dangers of COVID-19 and the significance of getting vaccinated,” said Ray L. Belton, president-chancellor of the ÎçҹѰ»¨ System.

The grassroots, research-based campaign will engage ÎçҹѰ»¨ alumni and other stakeholders across all 64 Louisiana parishes. The System also aims to provide resources and content area experts from relevant programs across its five campuses, including Southern Baton Rouge’s College of Nursing and Allied Health.

“We are in a crisis,” said Domoine D. Rutledge, chairman of the ÎçҹѰ»¨ Board of Supervisors. “The pandemic has impacted the lives of thousands of Louisiana residents. Our institution is well equipped to respond to this pandemic. In partnership with our Governor, the Louisiana Department of Health, elected officials, and community leaders, we will beat this pandemic.”

The campaign’s strategies include social media, public events, and advertising to provide factual information about the vaccine, including access.

Upcoming events include:

  • March 27, vaccination event with Ochsner Health-Baton Rouge, F.G. Clark Activity Center
  • April 10, SU Vax Day, mass vaccination event, nine sites including SU System campuses
  • April 17, Bayou Classic education and vaccination event
  • May 4, webinar “What’s the Difference? Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Moderna vaccines”

 

For more information about the campaign and events, visit or email vaccinate@sus.edu.

 

About the ÎçҹѰ»¨ System
The ÎçҹѰ»¨ System was created in 1974 by constitutional mandate, which fashioned it into the nation’s only historically black 1890 Land-Grant University System.  Presently, the System is composed of five institutions:  ÎçҹѰ»¨ and Agricultural and Mechanical College at Baton Rouge (est. 1880), ÎçҹѰ»¨ Law Center (est. 1947), ÎçҹѰ»¨ at New Orleans (est. 1956), ÎçҹѰ»¨ at Shreveport (est. 1964), and the ÎçҹѰ»¨ Cooperative Extension Program (est. 1972), which became the fifth component of the System in 2001 and is now named ÎçҹѰ»¨ Agricultural Research and Extension Center.