Seward Vaccine Equity Project (SVEP) is a small, all-volunteer community organization that began in early 2021 to make COVID-19 vaccines available to people of color, immigrants, and people from other disadvantaged communities, particularly those who live or worship in Minneapolis’s Seward neighborhood.
In our first year, we vaccinated nearly 500 people–virtually all from our prioritized communities. Our events work because we take every person seriously, answering their questions and working to overcome whatever stands in their way, whether it’s a language barrier or needing transportation to a vaccine site. We do outreach through mosques; local independent pharmacies and other immigrant-owned businesses; union locals; sports programs; and other community networks. We follow up actively with anyone interested, to make sure that people who want their shots get their shots.
Many of the lessons we’ve learned doing this work were captured in our article here.