Detroit Evening Report: Detroit filmmakers receive $60K grant for short film to address vaccine hesitancy in Black communities

Harlem-based Black Public Media has awarded $160,000 in grants to projects aimed at combatting vaccine hesitancy in the Black community.

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Detroit filmmakers Eden Sabolboro and Toni Cunningham of Reel Clever Films were awarded $60,000 to fund a short film that tells the story of a Black family across 50 years as it deals with the Tuskegee experiments, the Flint Water Crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sabolboro says the kind of support Black Public Media has given BIPOC producers is important to making sure there are stories about people of color.

Black Public Media chose from projects submitted through its Black Media Story Summit in Michigan and North Carolina in March.

“What began as an effort to combat hesitancy against the COVID-19 vaccine has helped us realize that more education about vaccination against the flu and other illnesses is needed as well,” Qiona Woffard, special programs manager of Black Public Media, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with [National Network to Innovate for COVID-19 and Adult Vaccine Equity] as we work to amplify the voices of local artists who are working to bring positive change and awareness of the importance of vaccinations of all types to our communities.”

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Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.