Vast global vaccination effort gets underway

A long-awaited global program designed to make vaccine access more equal began Wednesday, when hundreds of thousands of doses arrived in the West African nation of Ghana — the first of 2 billion doses that organizers hope to deliver worldwide this year.

The initiative, known as COVAX, was created so that poorer countries that struggle to buy coronavirus vaccines on the open market can get them for free. Officials said it is the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history.

But the inequalities remain grim. Despite promises of billions of dollars in funding from wealthy nations, COVAX still has a financing gap of $23 billion. While richer countries have managed to buy up vast reserves of vaccines and inoculate millions of people — including more than 44 million Americans and about 18 million Britons — poorer countries have been left behind.

As of last week more than 130 countries had yet to vaccinate a single person.

Kudos to writer C. Isaiah Smalls II for capturing the essence of six fabulous women of Miami-Dade County in his Feb. 21 story, “A history of defiance.” These women, beyond being matriarchs of Black Miami, have all been and remain public servants, community leaders and role models beyond areas defined as Black communities.

Diversity is a strength in South Florida and these six women are the heavy lifters — hopefully to become household names synonymous with Black matriarch, perseverance, making a difference and making our community better.

– Sally Heyman,

commissioner, Miami-Dade County

For defenders of equity and human dignity, it’s been a good couple of weeks. And this week, Congress can — and should — make further progress.

President Biden has signed an executive order preventing and combating discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.

This positive step establishes the new administration’s stance toward ending entrenched discrimination in our country and directs government to take affirmative steps to securing parity — in particular, enforcing the June 2020 decision of Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, throughout all federal agencies.

In Bostock, the Supreme Court held that Title VII’s prohibition on discrimination “because of . . . sex” covers discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. After Bostock was decided, several federal agencies, including the Department of Education, sought to diminish Title VII by arguing it didn’t apply in controversial matters, such as sex-separated bathrooms, locker rooms and athletic teams. That myopic and cowardly view shouldn’t stand. Thankfully, this administration concurs.

In the Sunshine State, the Florida Commission on Human Rights

(FCHR) issued a ruling, introduced by Commissioner Monica Cepero — a former board member of my organization, Safeguarding American Values for Everyone, or

SAVE — that protects LGBTQ individuals from discrimination at the state level. The FCHR will investigate complaints about sex-based discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations, inclusive of gender identity and sexual orientation, just as Bostock did.

This is particularly momentous given Florida’s history of questionable policies toward diverse communities, and a Legislature that often prioritizes conservative values over individual liberties.

Although we should celebrate these positive developments and acknowledge such progress, this is not a time to grow complacent. Unfortunately, executive orders can be easily overturned by future administrations. To ensure LGBTQ people are permanently protected from discrimination, we must codify these policies into Florida law by passing a statewide non-discrimination ban that includes protections for the LGBTQ community. We must also push against hate and prejudice in other areas, for instance, banning the dangerous practice of conversion therapy and modernizing HIV disclosure laws.

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the Equality Act. It would amend several existing civil-rights laws — including the Fair Housing Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Jury Selection and Services Act and several other laws regarding employment with the federal government. New language would specifically include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics. The Equality Act would also amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and prohibit discrimination in public spaces and services, as well as in federally funded programs, on the basis of sex. SAVE supports this initiative and has worked side by side with Florida advocates and elected officials to help get passed since 2009, when the bill was first introduced.

SAVE is committed to doing its part. It’s important, and nobody said this work would be easy. During Black History Month, we remember the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”