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With the vaccine being released many are hoping for a return to normal, which is not going to happen, but that’s a story for another time. As the vaccine starts to roll out decisions need to be made as to who to give the vaccine to first. This debate is an important one and must be had, but other problems have arisen with this debate. These problems are horrifying. The problems are, racial. For some reason people are bringing race into who should get the vaccine first and it makes no sense. 

One such debate was sparked by an ethics professor at the University of Pennsylvania. This ethics professor said we should not give the vaccine to the elderly because “Older populations are whiter.” His reasoning is that we need to “level the playing field.” The very notion is horrific. To let people die because of some nonexistent privilege is absolutely and unequivocally psychotic. Race should not be brought into this. This is not the only example however. 

Another example comes from Cornell University in New York. This prestigious school has long practiced racialized vaccination rules. The University, in an effort to be woke and not be racists, only requires white people to get vaccinated. This rule is racist. There is no other way to look at it. By making a rule that only applies to someone based on their race, they have become what they supposedly fight against. 

People making such rules have been emboldened recently. The reason for this is shocking. The CDC has issued suggestions for each state to prioritize African, Hispanic, and Native Americans for vaccination over white people. As of writing this twenty-five states have complied. These states have all passed some form of racialized vaccine dispersal measure. They are giving the vaccine to people based on race. It is insane that such measures would even be considered, much less implemented. We should never base policy on race, never. This goes for everything, from vaccination dispersal to economic policy. No law or system passed should be based on race. 

There can be arguments over who gets the vaccine first. There is a real debate between frontline workers and the elderly. This is a real debate that should be had. Areas that are most affected should be given the vaccine before areas that do not have many cases. This is a simple idea. It is not based on race, but on where the disease is most prevalent. Race is not the answer and the fact that racialized procedures and laws are being passed is horrifying.