Hoyer Celebrates Black History Month in MD-05 with 41st Annual Black History Month Breakfast with Keynote Speaker Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett

Statement

Last weekend, the Maryland community celebrated 41st Annual Black History Month Breakfast, mirroring this year's Black History Month theme, Black Health and Wellness. Congressman Hoyer joined community members in the Fourth and Fifth Congressional Districts to draw attention to the health disparities that are prevalent in the Black community and heard from Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, Assistant Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who delivered the keynote address on her work to develop one of the COVID-19 vaccines. Below is a look at coverage of the event:

Southern Maryland News: Black health and wellness celebrated at annual event

"Health and wellness was front and center at the 41st annual Black History Month Breakfast, held virtually on Saturday. The event, hosted annually by House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md., 5th), is a celebration of achievements by African Americans. "I felt it very appropriate during February to have a Black history breakfast to celebrate African American leaders,' Hoyer told Southern Maryland News. "We have very significant public and private African American leaders, and I wanted to honor them and the history of African American contributions throughout our history,' he said… [Dr.] Corbett said she had been studying coronaviruses for six years by the time the pandemic broke out, and once the vaccine was distributed she became an educator for those skeptical about it. "In the same vein as a vaccine inventor, I also became a vaccine cheerleader,' [Dr.]Corbett said. Throughout it all, Corbett was proud of her heritage during her work. "I was a Black woman with a mission and a goal,' she said."

WJZ13: UMBC Graduate Who Helped Develop COVID Vaccine Keynote Speaker At Black History Month Breakfast

"They pulled out all the stops at the 41st annual Black History Month Breakfast. Maryland's 4th and 5th Congressional Districts hosted the event. It was held virtually for the second year in a row but featured musical performances and guest speakers…"This year we have so many dedicated and inspirational leaders to deliver messages of hope and joy,' Emcee Kelby Funn said. This year's theme was Black Health and Wellness. Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, a viral immunologist, was invited to be the keynote speaker. "I have grown to become invested in the health and wellness of all people, but especially those who are oftentimes excluded from access and opportunities that afford them equal health,' [Dr.] Corbett said. "These critical advances are in no small measure, thanks to our keynote speaker today and her colleagues in the field of immunology,' [Congressman Hoyer] said. "Dr. Corbett's research and contributions have undoubtedly saved countless lives thousands, perhaps millions, and alleviated untold suffering.'"

MSNBC: How this 'little ole girl' from North Carolina became a lead Covid-19 vaccine developer

"She's a globally renowned scientist and Covid-19 vaccine developer, yet Kizzmekia S. Corbett, Ph.D., modestly describes herself as a "little ole girl' from a small North Carolina town. Growing up, she saw firsthand the health challenges and disparities that proliferated in the Black community. "I am from the rural South where ailments such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes plague communities like my own, and actually plague my family to some extent,' said Corbett, the keynote speaker at a Black History Month breakfast hosted by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Rep. Anthony Brown (D-MD) over the weekend. The theme of the 41st annual event was "Black Health and Wellness'… "Yet as we wade through a river, hope has stirred our hearts. Successful development and deployment of safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines last year breathed new life into our fight against this virus," [Congressman Hoyer] continued. "The groundbreaking medical advances of mRNA vaccines expanded the boundaries of our scientific knowledge while helping to curb the spread and severity of the disease worldwide. Thank you, Dr. Corbett, and all those with whom you work.'"

The Washington Informer: Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett Participates in Black History Month Program

"Corbett served as keynote speaker for the 41st annual virtual program hosted by Rep. Steny Hoyer representing the 5th Congressional District that represents portions of Prince George's County and all three counties in Southern Maryland… [Dr.] Corbett shared comments reflective of this year's program theme, "Black Health and Wellness.' She has several connections to Maryland, majoring in biology and sociology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County graduating in 2008. Six years later, she received a doctorate at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill… "Black and brown people actually lag in those statistics but the truth is at some point, we will rise out of this pandemic.'"

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