WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited Howard University on Friday, June 25, and toured the COVID-19 community vaccine clinic. Cardona encouraged students and members of the public to get vaccinated.

“We have Howard University stepping up for the community, stepping up for our county,” Cardona said. “We know that the distribution of the vaccine isn’t even and there are some pockets of concern, communities where there is lack of confidence still. We need all hands on deck.”

This tour focused on the University's commitment to inoculating college students, a key demographic to achieve President Biden's bold vaccination goals and end the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the “COVID-19 College Vaccine Challenge,” the White House and the U.S. Department of Education are inviting colleges and universities across the country to join efforts to end the pandemic.

Secretary Cardona met with Howard pre-med students who are serving as vaccine ambassadors and going into surrounding neighborhoods and communities to encourage more people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Cardona praised Howard University for making the vaccine easy to get, which he affirmed as safe and “one of the best strategies we have to reopening and making sure we go back to how things were in terms of having students on campus.”  

Secretary Cardona also discussed the American Families Plan, which would provide two years of subsidized tuition and expand programs in high-demand fields at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including Howard University, Tribal Colleges and Universities and other minority-serving institutions.

Howard University Hospital Chief Executive Anita L. A. Jenkins said existing healthcare disparities and other social inequalities have caused COVID-19 to hit Black and Brown communities especially hard, making community vaccination an imperative. However, many people in the community mistrust healthcare system because of negative experiences seeking care.

“It’s very important for Howard University Hospital and Howard University to be a trusted source for the care that they need,” Jenkins said. “We need to be able to say to the community that we serve and to anyone who needs our care that yes, it is safe, look at us.”

About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue more than 140 programs of study leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced one Schwarzman Scholar, three Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 12 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 165 Fulbright recipients. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu.

Media Contact: Sholnn Freeman, sholnn.freeman@howard.edu