Worcester Business Journal

34 Worcester Business Journal | March 15, 2021 | wbjournal.com Join us for this special three-part webcast series and find out what's behind Worcester's momentum! Emerging WORCESTER SESSION 2: March 16th • Noon-1:00PM CIVIC AND CULTURAL LIFE - A conversation with local arts and cultural leaders about their take on the market, what they see for 2021 and beyond, and their industry's role in the city's path to greater vitality. SESSION 3: March 23rd • 9:00-10:00AM INVESTING IN WORCESTER - A conversation with many of Worcester's top investors, hear about their projects and how they view the market, and how they see Worcester positioned for future growth. David Greaney, CEO, Synergy Investments Rich Mazzocchi, Managing Director, Boston Capital Development LLC MODERATOR: Joe Mathieu, Anchor and Executive Editor, WGBH Morning Edition Che Anderson, Assistant Vice Chancellor for City and Community Relations, UMass Medical School Dani Babineau, CEO, Redemption Rock Brewing Co. Laura Marotta, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Creative Hub Worcester Stephanie Ramey, President, Worcester Railers HC Find full event details and updates at www.wbjournal.com/worcesteremerging Platinum Sponsors Supporting Sponsors PANELISTS: PANELISTS: Mark Nedelman, CEO, Biomere Troy Siebels, President & CEO, The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts BOLLUS LYNCH CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS & CONSULTANTS W history." On May 16, 1997, President Bill Clinton formally apologized on behalf of the U.S. to victims of the experiment, calling it shameful and racist. In the book "e Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" Rebecca Skloot captures the story of a major scientific discovery, one with grave human con- sequences. Henrietta died unnecessarily young; her white doctors knew some- thing was unusual about the cancer cells on her cervix. Henrietta's cells – HeLa cells – were taken without her knowl- edge and have become one of the most important tools in medicine. HeLa cells are still alive today even though she died nearly 70 years ago. ese cells grow un- usually fast, doubling their count in only 24 hours. ey are immortal – meaning they will divide again and again and again without dying off, making them ideal for large-scale testing. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vac- cine; uncovering secrets of cancer and viruses; helped lead to important ad- vances like in vitro fertilization and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave. Henrietta's family did not learn of her immortality until nearly 20 years aer her death. ese cells launched a multimillion-dollar industry, and her family never saw a cent. Instead of shaming and blaming, em- ployers need to step back and make an effort to understand why BIPOC people have so much fear and distrust in the healthcare system. Most BIPOC people want to get the shot, and hesitancy is not the same as opposition. It makes sense to be cautious and ask questions. What can you do as a business leader? Run town halls, in person and over video, to talk to your staff about the vac- cine. Some people come with questions about their specific situations. Fear-as- suaging education is especially import- ant when we deal with the unknown: a coronavirus and a vaccine made with new messenger RNA technology. ese conversations might be time-consum- ing, but they will pay off in the long- run. Working directly with community leaders and amplifying the voices of people of color can ease fears, and build trust. Leadership must practice empathy to support all employees. It's a life-and- death scenario for businesses, literally; vaccine uptake is our ticket to a safer, healthier new normal. Bonnie J. Walker is the director of equity and inclusion at Worcester Academy, ply- ing this arena in education in Mass. for 16 years. Contact her at bonnie.walker@ worcesteracademy.org. S ince the initial rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, beginning with healthcare workers and el- ders, I've heard this question a lot: Why aren't Black employees getting the vaccine? e question should be: Why would Black people get the vaccine, given the oppressive medical practices Black people have endured historically? A report from UnidosUS, the NAACP, and COVID Collaborative revealed only 14% of Black Americans and 34% of Latinx Americans say they have trust in the COVID-19 vaccine. A long and well-documented history in the U.S. of government-led or gov- ernment-supported medical malpractice directed toward BIPOC, particularly Black Americans, has le a legacy of fear and distrust. e Tuskegee Study is one grand example of this historical malpractice; a clinical study on untreated syphilis in the Black male, conducted between 1932 and 1972 by the U.S. Public Health Service. e purpose of this study was to observe the natural history of untreated syphilis; the poor Black men in the study were told they were receiving free health care from the U.S. government, which was a lie. e study recruited 600 black men, of which 399 were diagnosed with syphilis. e researchers never obtained informed consent from the men and never told the men with syphilis they were not being treated, but were simply being watched until they died and their bodies examined for ravages of the disease. Many men died, 40 wives contracted the disease, and 19 children were born with congenital syphilis. e 40-year Tuskegee Study was a major violation of ethical standards, and has been cited as "arguably the most infa- mous biomedical research study in U.S. Apprehension about the COVID-19 vaccine WITH BONNIE J. WALKER Outside the Box

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