Sandra Lindsay was the first person to be administered the covid-19 vaccine in the United States. She is an African American female who immigrated from Jamaica in 1986, so her intersecting identities are female, black and immigrant. As the director of critical care nursing, she saw firsthand the disproportionate devastation the virus had on the black community, so she volunteered to be vaccinated as it was her way of showing African Americans that the vaccine was safe and letting them know that if taken, it could reduce the risk of contracting the virus and ending the pandemic.

In an interview with Shondaland.com, Lindsay said she was not aware of the history of medical experimentation and exploitation on black Americans until she was enrolled in nursing school. However, she believes that despite America’s racist medical history towards blacks, everyone should take the vaccine as it is based on science and it could help reduce deaths and return society to normal.

Black women have always been marginalized in America and she saw the opportunity to educate others as well as be an example to those who were hesitant about taking the vaccine, she wanted to show them that it was safe. Sandra Lindsay is using her unique intersectional role as a female leader in the African American community to promote self-care and help save lives.