I'm Karen Rodriguez-Lappas, head of diversity and inclusion at Purple Innovation, a company which produces comfort products backed by science.

You might know us for our mattresses, pillows, and seat cushions.

Purple takes great pride in innovation, which is why it supports diverse entrepreneurs who are improving

lives in breakthrough ways across the technology, health, and wellness industries. Later in the episode, you'll hear from an entrepreneur

who is reimagining their field

to make it accessible and comfortable to all. To learn more about how purple is reinventing

comfort, visit Brittany. So I worked on a vaccine education campaign a few months ago and it was specifically geared toward black communities, the same communities that journalists and

commentators had been labeling as vaccine hesitant. Those journalists were

well-intentioned and they took into account the history of how our medical

apartheid system has systemically abused black people and understandably

made us suspicious. But we consulted with doctors for the campaign and a black medical school

professor named Dr. Kimberly Manning she said something that really shifted our

approach.

She said we shouldn't be calling reluctance to get vaccinated

hesitancy when often it's actually vaccine deliberation. What she was actually saying was that there are large pockets of people

with legitimate questions that deserve answers, not condescension.

And y'all, I'm not talking about these extreme anti-vaxers

whose minds are already closed shut,

you know, the ones who like pulled down strangers' masks

in grocery stores. I'm talking about the folks who have

valid concerns and fears and there are many of them. Maybe they're wondering about

the effects of the vaccine on fertility or their own pre-existing illnesses.

...