Issue 6
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Dear Reader,
I am pleased to present Issue 6 of the HBCU Speakers Bureau and Research Magazine. Articles feature the accomplishments of several HBCU alumni, faculty and associates, and other news of critical national and global impact.
In this issue, we announce a partnership between SAGE publications and Universal Write Publications, created by Ayo Sekai, CEO of Universal Write Publications and a recent Howard Ph.D. graduate.
This issue also features the Maroon Artisan Commemorative Candle created by Howard alumna Frankie Bethea and her business partner, Ryan Waddy. The candle was presented to event participants, including the five survivors, at the 1921 Tulsa Riots anniversary held last spring. The issue showcases the award winning film, Tal Jones: A Black Oil Legacy, produced by Howard alumnus Dr. Bernard Moore, and the award-winning film producer Pamela Richardson.
Book reviews include What’s Wrong With Us Kali Women, the fourth book of poetry by international poet and former Howard administrator, Dr. Anita Nahal; They Used to Call Me Brother, the autobiography of community activist Hank Wall, and Black Elder Speaks by the prolific writer/poet/educator Frederick Harper.
In global health news, the CDC website provides an update on the Delta virus. And among HBCU grant acquisitions, we note that Florida A & M’s recent $1.2 million grant from NASA will make a critical impact on the number of African Americans in the field of aerospace engineering.
Finally, we announce that Howard University has renamed its College of Fine Arts to the Chadwick Boseman College of Fine Arts. Bosman was star in the globally acclaimed movie, Black Panther, and actor/director in other notable films. The renaming of the college follows the appointment of award winning actor/Howard alumna Phyllicia Rashad as the new dean of the college.
Check out these articles in the latest issue of the online magazine at hbcuspbresearch.org.
Sincerely,
Gwendolyn S. Bethea, Ph.D.
Editor
Dr. Ayo Sekai
SAGE Enters Three-Year Partnership with Universal Write Publications to Publish African- and Black-Centered Titles
UWP Currently Seeking Proposals for New Titles
LOS ANGELES, CA (July 14, 2021) SAGE Publishing and Universal Write Publications LLC (UWP) signed an agreement for SAGE to sponsor nine titles to support the growth of UWP, a Black-owned social science publishing company. Through the publication and promotion of academic books and articles, UWP represents voices of the Academic Diaspora to broaden worldviews through research that uses interdisciplinary theories with an emphasis on African and Black-centered scholarship.
While SAGE will not take any stake in the company, SAGE will hold a position on UWP’s Board of Directors, offering publishing advice and support.
Dr. Ayo Sekai, a political scientist (Howard University, 2020) and linguist, founded UWP in 2004 to publish her own fiction and children’s books. From there she shifted the one-woman company’s focus onto academic, peer-reviewed work that demonstrates a commitment to African agency and African narratives. With $600 she relaunched UWP. The company has since published important titles such as Molefi Kete Asante’s The Precarious Center, Nah Dove’s The Afrocentric School, and We Will Tell Our Own Story by Adebayo C. Akomolafe.
The three-year agreement with SAGE will allow UWP to expand its recruitment of new authors and books. UWP is currently seeking proposals for nine new titles. Instructions for submissions to the UWP publishing program can be found at www.UWPBooks.com.
“SAGE, at this moment, is changing my life in ways I could never have imagined,” says Dr. Sekai. “SAGE has seen a value in UWP that can shift the consciousness and impact of not just my legacy, but the legacy of Afrocentricity, the legacy of Black and African history, and the legacy of our academic and scholarly voices. UWP in its rebirth is a form of resistance in itself. It is a reclaiming of Black agency, through the lens of Afrocentricity, to preserve the stories and memories of not just part of the narrative, but all of it. Thank you to Sara Miller McCune, founder of SAGE, for your vision and for being a visionary, and to Blaise Simqu, SAGE’s CEO, for your mentorship.”
“I cannot think of a more propitious development in academic publishing than this remarkable partnership between SAGE and Universal Write Publications,” comments Dr. Asante, professor in the Department of Africology at Temple University and Board Director of UWP. “SAGE’s willingness to help UWP ‘stand up’ is a testament to the early faith that its publisher, Sara Miller McCune, had to the idea of the Journal of Black Studies and the continuing emphasis on creating social and cultural value in our society.”
Blaise Simqu, CEO of SAGE Publishing, noted that SAGE was the founding publisher of the Journal of Black Studies in conjunction with Dr. Asante in 1970, and that Dr. Asante was the bridge between SAGE and UWP. “We are proud of the research published and our 50-year relationship with Dr. Asante, and in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, we began having deeper discussions about the importance of Black-owned businesses, and, more precisely, Black-owned publishers. Dr. Asante introduced SAGE to a young, energetic publisher named Ayo Sekai, the founder of UWP, who reminded us all of our founder who started the company with $500 in 1965.”
For more on UWP, visit www.UWPBooks.com
About SAGE Publishing
SAGE is a global academic publisher of books, journals, and a growing suite of library products and services. Driven by the belief that social and behavioral science has the power to improve society, we focus on publishing impactful research and enabling robust research methodology. We produce high-quality educational resources that support instructors to prepare the citizens, policymakers, educators, and researchers of the future. We publish more than 1,000 journals and 900 new books globally each year, as well as library products and services that include archives, data, case studies, and video. SAGE is majority-owned by our founder, Sara Miller McCune, and after her lifetime will become owned by a charitable trust that secures the company’s continued independence.
About Universal Write Publications
Universal Write Publications LLC publishes social, anthological, and ethnographical scholarship that dignifies the rich histories of the culturally diverse peoples who make up our society. The founding principle is that it is a universal right to tell our own stories. It is with that tenacity, commitment, and deep resolve, that the founder and publisher, Dr. Ayo Sekai, founded the company in 2004.To receive more information, please contact info@UWPbooks.com.
Frankie L. Bethea (far left)at Anniversary of Black Wall Street, with event participants.
Frankie L. Bethea and partner, Ryan Waddy
Local Entrepreneur/Howard Graduate Creates Black Wall Street Candle
Candle Presented at 100th Anniversary
The Maroon Artisans organization formally presented the Greenwood Black Wall Street Candle at the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa, Oklahoma massacre. The massacre occurred on May 31, 1921. On this date, the Greenwood District of Tulsa was burned to the ground and more than 300 black citizens were massacred by a white mob. One thousand houses were destroyed, and an untold number of black-owned businesses were tragically burned.
The candle was created by Frankie L. Bethea, a native of Washington, DC and a graduate of the Howard University College of Fine Arts. It was especially designed to pay homage to the survivors. A candlelight vigil was a featured aspect of the anniversary activities.
Although Black Wall Street would rebuild, the collective memory of that fateful day lives on in the hearts and minds of survivors and descendants. The aroma of the candle recreates the memories of the richness of the African American heritage and spirit embodied in the extraordinary entrepreneurship of a community only decades from enslavement.
“We chose to commemorate the lives of Greenwood Black Wall Street survivors by creating a candle which is symbolic of their spirit and fortitude despite their tragic history. It is the only one of its kind and will be a part of a historical candle series,” stated Bethea. Her business partner in the candle venture, Ryan Waddy, a local graphics designer, accompanied Bethea to the commemorative event.
The Maroon Artisan was established as an Artist Collective Community engaged in social exchange initiatives impacting communities through art, culture, and business entrepreneurships.
For more information, and to purchase,
Email: sharebuild@maroonartisan.com,
Phone:1-800-988-3796.
BOOK REVIEWS
What’s Wrong With Us Kali Women? by Anita Nahal, Ph.D.
A Book Review by Gwendolyn S. Bethea, Ph.D.
I am moved to tears that linger just beneath the surface as I read Anita Nahal’s prose poetry covering her life before and after immigrating to America from her native India. I hear and feel the deep palpable longing for freedom as she and her son are driven dispassionately to the airport by a close relative.
With this book of prose poetry, Anita Nahal brings passion and sentiment with poignant renderings of life as an immigrant, professional woman, mother, and survivor of domestic abuse.
Relatable universally, especially in the current pandemic, several examples come to mind. In “What happened to their Clothes,” we see inanimate objects in ways that we never would have imagined, occurring all too frequently in this scourge of our lifetime. Nahal depicts the clothes of the deceased as no longer living, breathing, never again enveloping … they are the embodiment of what is no longer possible.
In another prose poem, “How easy it is for a Black life to be taken?” Nahal writes of black lives which not long ago actually mattered to loved ones before they were snuffed out, thoughtlessly, cruelly. Their names — Castile, Floyd, Garner, Blake, Brown, Rice, Bland, Gray, Martin, Arbury, Taylor, Till. roll from her thoughts to paper in rapid, seemingly endless succession as did their untimely deaths.
In “Democracy is in decline,” she decries the state of America when a homeless man in a coffee shop whose barely clothed body sends her “into a spiral of sadness,” while the man’s companion announces outside,
“there is something wrong with America
where having food and health care are privileges
and owning guns is a right…”
In “It’s not all about sex,” one encounters a sloth’s heated pursuit of sexual satisfaction when “Mama sloth, holding onto her baby,” signals the story of humans choosing maternal instinct over the sometimes shallowness of over sensationalized human sexuality.
“Mama sloth pulled him back to her embrace. The stud knew, it was only to be about consideration, today.”
In “Finally, she showered,” we see the immigrant mother reminiscing about her new home, across the ocean, in America, with her son, living and flourishing, yet experiencing life in all its nuances; and understanding too well that they have left behind the love of family and success of career, yet the horror of abuse. Finally, she has time to “shower” after her son’s splendid Indian wedding earlier that day. She appears to cleanse away wistful thoughts of yester year, lovers’ lost, yet remembered with blissfulness, while embracing the oncoming dawn of hope for the present and future.
And in still another piece, “Corona and love-life layers,” Nahal announces a new beginning for a refurbished earth, reminding us of when “the streets had ample fresh air and the ozone was stronger. Trees too were a lusher green.”
In these and other prose poetry works, Nahal is a messenger of hope for the survival of the human species. We see a full range of disappointments with love interests, aging, physical and mental challenges, and musings about life’s relentless superficial creations, based on skin color, cultural, social, and economic conditions.
Originally Published in Confluence, September 2021
Advertisement
They Used to Call Me Brother
– By Hank Wall
Reviewed by Gwendolyn S. Bethea, Ph.D.
Henry “Hank” Wall’s life story begins with his birth to a single mother in High Point, NC on April 11, 1950. Raised by her sister, his aunt, and her husband, Hank fondly recalls his childhood of racing on unpaved streets, young romance, school band trips, home cooked meals shared by neighborhood friends, YMCA meeting places, and teachers who also served for many as surrogate parents. He becomes a star football and basketball player at William Penn High School, a premiere high school for blacks in that era.
He later joins the U.S. Army where he makes lifelong friends and after returning home marries his youthful sweetheart. He begins a more than 45-year journey as mentor/father figure and co-creator of BOTSO (Brothers Organized to Serve Others). BOTSO is a widely recognized, mostly African American male mentoring organization based in High Point. Many former members still attribute their success as adults to Hank and the program.
He recalls that one of his proudest moments was when he was named the first national mentor of the year by the National CARES Mentoring program, created and presented to him personally by former Essence magazine editor Susan Taylor.
As a well-respected community leader and staunch advocate for youth and other citizens in High Point and surrounding areas, he attributes much of his accomplishments to a closely knit family, a nurturing educational and faith-filled environment, and the unfailing loyalty of friends and mentors.
The richness of small-town family warmth and school/community pride form a perfect backdrop to a heart-warming story.
You may purchase this book by contacting: Hank Wall,110 Scott Avenue, Suite #3, High Point, NC. 27262
Black Elder Speaks
– By Frederick D. Harper, Ph.D.
A Review by Dorothy Wilson Roth
If one needed a racial blueprint of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s Black American experience, one need look no farther than to Black Elder Speaks by Dr. Frederick Douglas Harper. This latest book, and his crystalized intelligence facilitate that Exhale at the end of a race well run, and of a life well lived.
He meticulously recounts the social missteps and mistakes, as well as the loves and wonders of our shared Black human existence. Obviously, Dr. Harper has been guided through the years by the Eternal Spirit, as God; and it is that life-long gift and relationship that has delivered this storytelling. We are blessed recipients as we occupy front-row seats to the cultural events and remarkable personalities of our time. This book is surely destined to be a bestseller.
You may purchase the book-
or from the publisher: www.xlibris.com
or an autographed copy from Dr. Harper for $25 (includes priority mail postage),
through PayPal, fdharperbooks@gmail.com
Dorothy Wilson Roth is architect of the newly established Willie L. Wilson Foundation. She is committed to providing direct needs-based financial assistance to students attending HBCUs in North Florida.
Screenwriter/Director/Producer Pamela J. Richardson and Bernard Moore Ph.D., Bring a Family Legacy to Life
Reprinted from the PRNewswire
“Tal Jones: A Black Oil Legacy” An inspiring true story of a family prevailing in a big way, despite the odds. “The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is the duty of the living to do so for them.”
LOS ANGELES, June 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The American Dream has perpetuated the myth that we all have an equal opportunity to generate the kind of wealth that brings meaning to the words, “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” as stated in the Declaration of Independence. Were these truths evident for all at the time it was written, and are they evident for all today?
Screenwriter/Director/Producer Pamela J. Richardson and Author/Political Strategist /Executive Producer, Bernard Moore Ph.D. have collaborated to bring to light a compelling screenplay for a limited TV mini-series based on a true story of the history and legacy of a black family from Oklahoma’s oil rich land. The story moves the reader from a boy born in slavery to the emotional torment of being treated as chattel, to inheriting land that would ultimately lead to a multi-million-dollar fortune for his descendants. Tal struck oil just before the historic Tulsa, Oklahoma Massacre, which was a direct consequence of black prosperity in oil. The series brings to life interesting characters and distant relatives who scheme to take oil-rich land from Tal’s children and their offspring. It is filled with unexpected twists, including significant events in history.
The story of Tal Jones is unique, as it chronicles an authentic African American family who, against all odds, have living descendants who add validity to this distinctive story. Historically, many African Americans were property rich and cash poor without the financial resources to fight for their land rights. But Tal Jones and his descendants were able to retain oil wealth through a maze of legal challenges. While the courts have since ruled in their favor, from the early 1920s to 2021, a hundred years later, the Jones family is still wracked with legal challenges to ensure their oil royalties remain within the family.
The screenplay has racked numerous prestigious awards which serves as an affirmation of the popularity and interest in the Black experience. Although African Americans have made enormous contributions to the American culture, screenplays by and about Blacks are finally gaining recognition and momentum within the industry. Plans for the mini-series pilot are in development. There are many roles available for an all-star cast.
Moore, the great, great grandson of Tal Jones has spent years diving into the archives of the family’s history, as well as spending numerous hours documenting the recollections of individual family members. There are many layers to the Tal Jones story, and the mini-series will delve deep into the pain, the sacrifice, and the survival of a family that could have and should have, had they been white, become one of the wealthiest families in America. Moore is leading the charge to ensure the legal rights of their land leases.
Richardson has been creating works of art and commercially recognized film projects for over twenty years and, as an African American, is deeply committed to the success of the series. “The truth of American History can no longer be dismissed, diminished and ignored. It must be told honestly,” said Richardson. For Richardson and Moore, putting the pen to the pain will hopefully encourage others to honor their ancestors by documenting their stories. “TAL JONES: A Black Oil Legacy” is based on a real family and its ultimate triumphs.
For additional information contact: info@taljoneslegacy.com
Photo(s):
https://www.prlog.org/12872319
Press release distributed by PRLog
SOURCE Tal Jones Legacy
GRANTS, NEWS, AND AWARDS
Howard University Names College of Fine Arts After Iconic Alumnus Chadwick A. Boseman
May 26, 2021 | Written by Howard Newsroom Staff
THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY’S EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN ROBERT A. IGER TO LEAD FUNDRAISING EFFORTS FOR A NEW, STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY AND ENDOWMENT FOR THE CHADWICK A. BOSEMAN COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS
WASHINGTON – Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick is pleased to announce that the newly reestablished College of Fine Arts will be named in honor of alumnus Chadwick Boseman, whose remarkable career as an actor, director, writer, and producer inspired millions around the world. The news comes just weeks after the announcement of alumna and actress Phylicia Rashad as dean of the college. During his tenure at Howard, Boseman led a student protest against the absorption of the College of Fine Arts into the College of Arts & Sciences. Long after graduating, he, along with other alumni, continued to engage in conversations with Howard University administration- their efforts were not in vain. Plans to re-establish the College of Fine Arts were announced in early 2018.
“When Chadwick Boseman returned to campus in 2018 to serve as our commencement speaker, he called Howard a magical place. During his visit, I announced our plans to reestablish the College of Fine Arts and he was filled with ideas and plans to support the effort in a powerful way,” said President Frederick. “Chadwick’s love for Howard University was sincere, and although he did not live to see those plans through to fruition, it is my honor to ensure his legacy lives on through the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts with the support of his wife and the Chadwick Boseman Foundation. I’m also elated to have the support of The Walt Disney Company’s Executive Chairman Bob Iger, who has graciously volunteered to lead the fundraising effort to build a state-of-the art facility and endowment for the college.”
“We would like to thank President Wayne A. I. Fredrick and the Howard University Board of Trustees for honoring our beloved Chad with the renaming of the reestablished College of Fine Arts. We would also like to thank Bob Iger for spearheading the fundraising efforts of this development,” said The Boseman Family. “Chad fought to preserve the College of Fine Arts during his matriculation at Howard and remained dedicated to the fight throughout his career, and he would be overjoyed by this development. His time at Howard University helped shape both the man and the artist that he became, committed to truth, integrity, and a determination to transform the world through the power of storytelling. We are confident that under the dynamic leadership of his former professor and mentor the indomitable Phylicia Rashad that the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts will inspire artistic scholars for many generations.”
“I am extremely pleased that Howard University has chosen to honor my husband in this way and elated that Ms. Rashad has accepted the role as Dean,” said Boseman’s wife, Simone Ledward-Boseman. “Chad was a very proud Bison — both Howard and Ms. Rashad played integral roles in his journey as an artist. The re-establishment of the College of Fine Arts brings this part of his story full-circle and ensures that his legacy will continue to inspire young storytellers for years to come.”
A native of South Carolina, Boseman graduated from Howard University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in directing. During his tenure, he had the fortunate opportunity to be trained and mentored by Rashad, who recognized his talent early on. “Unrelenting in his pursuit of excellence, Chadwick was possessed with a passion for inquiry and a determination to tell stories – through acting, writing, and directing – that revealed the beauty and complexity of our human spirit,” said Rashad, who is elated about the news of Boseman’s recognition.
The Walt Disney Company’s Executive Chairman Robert A. Iger will personally lead fundraising efforts in honor of Boseman, a cherished member of the Disney/Marvel family, to build a new, state-of-the-art facility to house the college and an endowment for the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts.
“Chadwick Boseman was an extraordinarily gifted, charismatic and kind-hearted person whose incredible talent and generous spirit were clearly reflected in his iconic performances, including as King T’Challa in ‘Black Panther,’ and in his tireless commitment to helping others. Through his tremendous example he inspired millions to overcome adversity, dream big and reach beyond the status quo, and this College named in his honor at his beloved Howard University will provide opportunities for future generations of artists to follow in his footsteps and pursue their dreams,” said Iger.
Boseman’s college classmate Ta-Nehisi Coates was a student writer for the Hilltop newspaper when Boseman and his fellow students orchestrated the protests to challenge the closing of the College of Fine Arts. Coates recalls how Howard nurtured Boseman’s sense of the power of the arts to affect change. Thus, he believes it’s only fitting that the University name the re-established program after one it’s most accomplished students.
“Naming the College of Fine Arts after Chad, I think is perfect and it’s exactly what should be done. His theater work, his movie work, his acting and his writing, this was a continuation of that activism. The arts for him were always about something more. We’ve had a long list of artists come out of Howard, but, in our generation, nobody can better articulate, by example or by artistry, what we learned at Howard and what the university gave to us. So, I think it’s just fitting – it makes me teary-eyed thinking about it– naming the College after our brother who never stopped fighting for it,” said Coates.
The announcement kicked off a fundraising effort to build a new, state-of-the-art facility to become the home of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts. The building will also house the Cathy Hughes School of Communications and the University’s television and radio stations, WHUT-TV and WHUR 96.3 FM, creating a dynamic, one-stop complex for the arts and journalism combined.
To donate, please visit-
Pictured above: Left: Danielle Carr, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, 2nd-Year Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering, NASA BP-AE Graduate Research Fellow with a focus in haptic interface design and control; center, Dr. Carl A. Moore, Jr., FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Research specialty: robot manipulators, haptic interfaces, and addictive manufacturing. Co-Investigator of the NASA MUREP INCLUDES grant, “Broadening Participation of Next Generation Aerospace Engineers through Traineeship and Workforce Development Program (BP-AE); right, Ebony Bland, junior in mechanical engineering at FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, NASA BP-AE Undergraduate Fellow
The picture was taken in the Challenger Learning Center during a visit by NASA Director Sen. Bill Nelson on October 1, 2021.
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY (FAMU) RECEIVES $1.2 MILLION FROM NASA TO RECRUIT MORE AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS IN AEROSPACE ENGINEERING
Florida A&M University (FAMU) has received $1.2 million from NASA to recruit more African American students to pursue careers in aerospace engineering. FAMU will establish a multi-institution coalition to recruit underrepresented minorities (URMs) for a comprehensive research and training program. In addition to FAMU, the coalition includes the University of Central Florida (UCF), Florida State University (FSU), the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and four NASA centers. FAMU was awarded $1,199,977 for its proposal to NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP).
“Through the BP-AE grant, FAMU and its coalition partners will make a huge impact on the research and workforce development opportunities available to URM students in Aerospace Engineering and related technologies,” stated Associate Professor Carl Moore, Ph.D., Department of Mechanical Engineering at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, who is co-principal investigator on the grant. For more information, please contact Professor Moore at carl.moore@famu.edu.
Delta Variant: What We Know About the Science
––Updated Aug. 26, 2021
Languages
On July 27, 2021, CDC released updated guidance on the need for urgently increasing COVID-19 vaccination coverage and a recommendation for everyone in areas of substantial or high transmission to wear a mask in public indoor places, even if they are fully vaccinated. CDC issued this new guidance due to several concerning developments and newly emerging data signals.
First, a significant increase in new cases reversed what had been a steady decline since January 2021. In the days leading up to our guidance update, CDC saw a rapid and alarming rise in the COVID-19 case and hospitalization rates around the country.
• In late June, the 7-day moving average of reported cases was around 12,000. On July 27, the 7-day moving average of cases reached over 60,000. This case rate looked more like the rate of cases we had seen before the vaccine was widely available.
Second, new data began to emerge that the Delta variant was more infectious and was leading to increased transmissibility when compared with other variants, even in some vaccinated individuals. This includes recently published data from CDC and our public health partners, unpublished surveillance data that will be publicly available in the coming weeks, information included in CDC’s updated Science Brief on COVID-19 Vaccines and Vaccination, and ongoing outbreak investigations linked to the Delta variant.
Delta is currently the predominant variant of the virus in the United States. Below is a high-level summary of what CDC scientists have recently learned about the Delta variant. More information will be made available when more data are published or released in other formats.
Infections and Spread
The Delta variant causes more infections and spreads faster than early forms of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19
· The Delta variant is more contagious: The Delta variant is highly contagious, more than 2x as contagious as previous variants.
· Some data suggest the Delta variant might cause more severe illness than previous variants in unvaccinated people. In two different studies from Canada and Scotland, patients infected with the Delta variant were more likely to be hospitalized than patients infected with Alpha or the original virus that causes COVID-19. Even so, the vast majority of hospitalizations and death caused by COVID-19 are in unvaccinated people.
· Unvaccinated people remain the greatest concern: The greatest risk of transmission is among unvaccinated people who are much more likely to get infected, and therefore transmit the virus. Fully vaccinated people get COVID-19 (known as breakthrough infections) less often than unvaccinated people. People infected with the Delta variant, including fully vaccinated people with symptomatic breakthrough infections, can transmit the virus to others. CDC is continuing to assess data on whether fully vaccinated people with asymptomatic breakthrough infections can transmit the virus.
· Fully vaccinated people with Delta variant breakthrough infections can spread the virus to others. However, vaccinated people appear to spread the virus for a shorter time: For prior variants, lower amounts of viral genetic material were found in samples taken from fully vaccinated people who had breakthrough infections than from unvaccinated people with COVID-19. For people infected with the Delta variant, similar amounts of viral genetic material have been found among both unvaccinated and fully vaccinated people. However, like prior variants, the amount of viral genetic material may go down faster in fully vaccinated people when compared to unvaccinated people. This means fully vaccinated people will likely spread the virus for less time than unvaccinated people.
· Vaccines, Vaccines in the US are highly effective, including against the Delta variant.
· The COVID-19 vaccines approved or authorized in the United States are highly effective at preventing severe disease and death, including against the Delta variant. But they are not 100% effective, and some fully vaccinated people will become infected (called a breakthrough infection) and experience illness. For all people, the vaccine provides the best protection against serious illness and death.
· Vaccines are playing a crucial role in limiting spread of the virus and minimizing severe disease. Although vaccines are highly effective, they are not perfect, and there will be vaccine breakthrough infections. Millions of Americans are vaccinated, and that number is growing. This means that even though the risk of breakthrough infections is low, there will be thousands of fully vaccinated people who become infected and able to infect others, especially with the surging spread of the Delta variant. Low vaccination coverage in many communities is driving the current rapid surge in cases involving the Delta variant, which also increases the chances that even more concerning variants could emerge.
· Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself, your family, and your community. High vaccination coverage will reduce spread of the virus and help prevent new variants from emerging. CDC recommends that everyone aged 12 years and older get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Masks Given what we know about the Delta variant, vaccine effectiveness, and current vaccine coverage, layered prevention strategies, including wearing masks, are needed to reduce the transmission of this variant
· At this time, as we build the level of vaccination nationwide, we must also use all the prevention strategies available, including masking indoors in public places, to stop transmission and stop the pandemic. Everyone who is able, including fully vaccinated people, should wear masks in public indoor places in areas of substantial or high transmission.
References:
1. Bernal JL, Andrews N, Gower C, et al. Effectiveness of Covid-19 Vaccines against the B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant. N Engl J Med. 2021 Jul 21;doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2108891external icon.
2. Brown CM, Vostok J, Johnson H, et al. Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings — Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 30 July 2021; https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7031e2.htm
3. Chia PY, Ong SWX, Chiew CJ, et al. Virological and serological kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant vaccine-breakthrough infections: a multi-center cohort study. 2021;doi:doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.28.21261295external icon.
4. Fisman DN, Tuite AR. Progressive Increase in Virulence of Novel SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Ontario, Canada. medRxiv. 2021 Jul 12; https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.05.21260050external icon.
5. Li B, Deng A, Li K, et al. Viral Infection and Transmission in a Large Well-Traced Outbreak Caused by the Delta SARS-CoV-2 Variant. medRxiv. 2021 Jul 12; https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.07.21260122external icon.
6. Mlcochova P, Kemp S, Dhar S, et al. SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 Delta Variant Emergence and Vaccine Breakthrough. Research Square Platform LLC. 2021 Jun 22; doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-637724/v1external icon
7. Musser JM, Christensen PA, Olsen RJ. et al. Delta Variants of SARS-CoV-2 Cause Significantly Increased Vaccine Breakthrough COVID-19 Cases in Houston, Texas. medRxiv. 2021 Jul 22; https://org/10.1101/2021.07.07.21260122.
8. Nasreen S, Chung H, He S, et al. Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against variants of concern in Ontario, Canada. medRxiv. 2021 Jul 16;doi:doi.org/10.1101/2021.06.28.21259420external icon.
9. Ong SWX, Chiew CJ, Ang LW, et al. Clinical and Virological Features of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern: A Retrospective Cohort Study Comparing B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.315 (Beta), and B.1.617.2 (Delta). SSRN Journal. 2021 Jun 7; https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3861566external icon.
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