In December, 52 percent of Black Americans said they would “wait and see” before signing up for a vaccination, while only 20 percent said they wanted the shot as soon as possible, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

At the time, the share of Black people who were skeptical about the vaccine was higher than white respondents (36 percent) and Latinos (43 percent).

In a March survey by KFF, 55 percent of Black respondents said they wanted the vaccination as soon as possible or were already vaccinated.

There has also been long-held mistrust of medical systems, since Black people had been subjected to cruel experimentations in the past, most notably in the U.S.

“I’m not naïve to what that history is,” she said, speaking of the exploitation of Black people in early medical experimentation.

Shackleford, a medical office coordinator, said she reversed her feelings on getting the vaccination for a number of reasons, not the least of which was “the unpredictability of the virus.

She also trusted the Black medical professionals who advocated that the Black community get on board with the vaccinations, she said.

The historically Black medical college has spent the last several months working in Black and underserved communities as part of a $40 million grant it received from the Department of Health and Human Services.

"I’m glad but I’m not surprised at the numbers," Mack said.

"But Black people are getting a clearer picture of how it works — and looking at how it has devastated our communities.".

“Because we got hit the hardest, the reality kicked in that our people are getting sick and dying,” he said.

That consultation — and other factors, including his faith — led Lloyd to come around on getting the vaccination

Mack, the physician, said the targeted public service announcements promoting taking the vaccination had the desired results

“The campaign has been effective, whether it’s President Obama encouraging the Black community to take the shot or local influencers,” Mack said