Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will be sunny with a high near 81 degrees. Tonight will be mostly clear with a low around 65. Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a high near 84.

Top story

Two top Chicago Park District managers suspended in wake of sexual harassment and assault of female lifeguards

The head of the Chicago Park District today announced the “emergency suspension” of two “high-level” district employees, as well as seven others, in the wake of an investigation into a long-standing culture of sexual harassment and assault targeting female lifeguards.

Without naming them, Chicago Park District Supt. Mike Kelly said the high-level district employees are the assistant director of beaches and pools, and the beaches and pools manager. Both were placed on suspension Aug. 13, based on information Kelly said he received from Park District Inspector General Elaine Little.

In total, the district has taken disciplinary action against 42 employees since an investigation began in March 2020.

“I understand the frustration with the time it has taken to look into these complaints,” Kelly said, talking to reporters at the South Shore Cultural Center. “Investigations never happen fast enough, but I assure every person who has been impacted by this case that this is top of mind to me.”

About six female lifeguards at park district pools and beaches were sexually harassed and assaulted by male co-workers, with some of the harassment taking place in front of children, according to an internal investigation made public earlier this summer.

The explosive allegations, including an attempted rape, were in a report that hints at a cover-up.

Read Stefano Esposito’s full story here.

More news you need

Fifty-six people were wounded, eight of them fatally, in citywide shootings over the weekend. Read more on the recent gun violence here.

An off-duty Chicago police officer exchanged gunfire with a group of men who shot at him after following him into a parking lot today in Portage Park, authorities say. Police also said no one was injured.

Months after he was vaccinated against COVID-19, state Senate President Don Harmon said he’s recovering from what he described as “mild symptoms” of the disease. Read more about the first breakthrough case of the virus revealed by a state senator.

Not every Chicago building can be a testament to architectural brilliance. This local guide uses what he playfully calls “ugly” buildings in River North for an architectural tour that serves up lessons … and the occasional zinger.

Fall Out Boy, Green Day and Weezer came together at Wrigley Field last night for the stadium’s first concert since the summer of 2019. By all accounts it was a rockin’ show – read Selena Fragassi’s review of the three-part pop punk show here.

A bright one

Bud Billiken Parade returns to South Side: ‘We are all here to have a good time’

The Bud Billiken Parade, a beloved end of summer and back-to-school tradition, returned to Bronzeville Saturday after a one-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Thousands of Black Chicagoans of all ages lined a shortened parade route through the South Side neighborhood to watch the city’s youth put their talents on display under a scorching sun.

Adults tried to beat the summer heat by lounging in lawn chairs under shady trees, umbrellas and tents, while children slurped their snow cones out of styrofoam cups as the sound of drums, music and the crowd’s cheers echoed down the streets.

Geek Squad performs during the Bud Billiken Parade in the Bronzeville neighborhood, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. The parade, which was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is now on its 92nd year. Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

“For me, it’s just the music, the bands, the groove,” Stephanie Hall said as she bounced to the beat. “… [Some people] might be from 79th [street], they might be from 87th, from 51st — we don’t know each other. We all are here to have a good time. That’s what I like.”

The Bud Billiken Parade, the oldest and largest African American parade in the nation which has been going on for more than 90 years, is a must-attend event for many Black Chicagoans, who have passed the tradition down from generation to generation.

“I’ve been coming here since I was a baby, and I just keep the family tradition going,” Tiny Reed said. “This means a lot to me.”

Read Madeline Kenney’s full story from Saturday here.

From the press box

Justin Fields showed off his poise in a solid preseason debut that was the talk of the town over the weekend, but Bears coach Matt Nagy reiterated today that Andy Dalton will be the Week 1 starter regardless of what happens the rest of camp.
Speaking of Nagy … after years of having substantial input on the roster, the coach now has the skill players and exciting young QB he’s desired. Now what? Jason Lieser looks at what should be a big year for the head coach who arrived in Chicago as a well-regarded offensive mind.

The White Sox made a series of roster moves today including putting Adam Engel on the 10-day injured list.
The Blackhawks re-signed winger Alex Nylander to a one-year, $874,125 contract, the team announced this morning. Nylander had been a restricted free agent.
Our high school sports team is previewing the upcoming football season. Check out team previews for No. 8 Hinsdale Central, No. 9 Wheaton North and No. 10 Maine South.

Your daily question ?

It’s time to start harvesting vegetables planted in the spring. Which ones have you been enjoying from your garden?

Reply to this email (please include your first name and where you live) and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

On Friday, in honor of it being Friday the 13th, we asked you: What’s one superstition you have? Here’s what some of you said…

“I have worked in a nursing home for 11 years and my superstitions are based on experience. Death comes in threes, never use the word “quiet” and people really do get crazy during a full moon.” — Kristi Silence

“Putting your purse on the floor.” — Kristine Uwainat Rhee

“When you’re going on or off a baseball or softball field you don’t step on the chalk! Ever!” — Phil Hardison

“Being in the room when a Chicago team is playing; it’s a no no.” – Elizabeth Fukawa

“I knock on wood all the time.” — Heather Lensink McBride

“I knock on wood. It’s in the DNA.” — Katherine Konopasek

Thanks for reading the Chicago Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.

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I write as one of the plaintiffs in the Protect Our Parks lawsuit trying to prevent the Obama Foundation’s seizure of Jackson Park.

It appears now that the Obamas have no intention of respecting the seriousness of the lawsuit by waiting to see the outcome. They have already begun closing roads around the park, and the demolition of the historic Women’s Garden has begun. It will be used as a “staging area” for the trucks and heavy equipment required to clear cut over a thousand mature trees, many of them a century old.

After five years of dubious legal and political maneuvers to defeat opponents of this environmental disaster, and futile efforts to persuade the Obamas to move the Presidential Center to a superior site on the South Side that their own consultants recommended, we find ourselves on the eve of destruction.

Since all this has now come to seem inevitable, or, as we say in Chicago, a “done deal,” perhaps it is time for those of us who oppose the destruction of Jackson Park to admit defeat and provide helpful suggestions for ways to make this next phase as efficient and painless as possible.

In that spirit, I have a few suggestions for the Obama Foundation. The first concerns the trees. Admittedly, they are in the way of the immature saplings and the sculpted Styrofoam landscaping that will surround the 235-tall monument to Obama presidency. The question is, what is the most efficient way to remove them? Bulldozers and chainsaws strike me as crude instruments when a much quicker, cost-effective alternative is obvious.

Why not set the trees on fire? That way they will provide the fuel for their own destruction, saving the burning of fossil fuels required by all that heavy equipment. Many of the trees are over a century old, and the energy expended in cutting them down can easily be saved by burning up the thousands of years of energy stored in them. This will also save considerably on labor costs.

A further refinement in this proposal is suggested by the question of which trees should be set on fire first. My recommendation would be to take the oldest, what forestry experts call the “mother trees,” in the glades of Jackson Park. Studies have shown that these century-old trees can actually feel it when their numerous siblings, offspring and neighboring underbrush are violently removed. Best to begin, then, by sparing the sensitivities of these senior trees, along with all the benighted tree-huggers and bird-watchers who will mourn their passing.

The burning of Jackson Park would have symbolic power as well. The funeral pyre is one of the oldest rituals for dealing with the dead. Admittedly, Jackson Park’s trees are not dead yet, but they soon will be. In most cultures we do not cremate the living, but wait until they have died of natural causes to perform the last rites. In this case, however, the living must be sacrificed because they stand in the way of what we are assured is “progress.”

Given the out-of-control forest fires ravaging the Western United States at this moment, the destruction of a mere thousand mature trees will seem like a minor issue in our inexorable march to a hotter planet.

I want to anticipate one predictable objection to this proposal. Some people will say that burning down the trees of Jackson Park will not look good. It will be difficult to conceal it from the public with ten-foot-high screened chain link fences because the smoke and the smell will hover over the South Side for days. But there is a straightforward answer to this objection.

Instead of concealing the destruction, the Obama Foundation should treat it as a noble sacrifice of a historic public space that deserves a spectacular send-off, a celebratory ignition to accompany the ground-breaking. Even better, the resulting scene of destruction can be rendered in dramatic images that will remind the public of the historic spectacle of Jackson Park in 1894, after a devastating fire burned the remnants of the Chicago Columbian Exposition.

I provide here a photograph of that scene in all its sublime splendor. Of course, it will not look exactly the same. There will not be the architectural foundations of the incinerated pavilions of the World’s Fair. But the husks of the tree trunks and their root structures can easily be displayed to good effect to remind the citizens of Chicago of this heroic sacrifice of public land.

Perhaps this photo should be displayed alongside the portrait of Obama seated in front of a wall of green foliage now on view at the Art Institute.

A fitting epitaph for what was supposed to be a “green presidency.”

The only question I have at this point is, who will light the match?

W. J. T. Mitchell is a historian of landscape and the politics of public space. He has been a professor at the University of Chicago and a resident of Hyde Park for more than 40 years. He is a plaintiff in the lawsuit against the Obama Foundation’s efforts to build a presidential center in Jackson Park.

Send letters to [email protected].

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U.S. soccer forward Carli Lloyd is retiring after a decorated career that included a pair of World Cup titles and two Olympic gold medals, as well as a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games.

The two-time FIFA World Player of the Year known for her dramatic hat-trick in the 2015 World Cup final will play four as-yet unannounced friendly matches this fall with the U.S., and finish out the season with her club team, Gotham FC. She hinted for more than a year that she was nearing the end of her career and made it official Monday.

“Through all the goals, the trophies, the medals and the championships won, what I am most proud of is that I’ve been able to stay unapologetically me,” said Lloyd, whose international career has spanned some 16 years. “My journey has been hard, but I can honestly say I’ve stayed true to myself, to my teammates, my coaches, the media and the fans throughout my entire career and that is what I am most proud of. Everyone sees the moments of glory, but I have cherished the work behind the scenes and the adversity that I’ve had to overcome to get to those glorious moments.”

The 39-year-old Lloyd scored a pair of goals in the United States’ 4-3 victory over Australia in the bronze medal game in Japan earlier this month. She became the first American to score in four different Olympics, and her 10 total goals in the event set a new record among U.S. players.

She ranks second on the national team’s all-time list with 312 appearances, and fourth with 128 goals.

Lloyd is probably best known for her three goals, all in the space of 16 minutes, to lead the United States to a 5-2 victory over Japan in the 2015 World Cup final. Her third goal in that match was a blistering strike from midfield.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Lloyd scored in overtime in a 1-0 victory over Brazil in the final. Four years later, she scored both goals in the gold-medal match against Japan at Wembley Stadium, becoming the only player to score winning goals in consecutive Olympic finals.

“Carli Lloyd is a true legend,” U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski said. “Her career was unique, and her success on the field is something all current and future National Team players should aspire to achieve. The way she approached her everyday training and career as a professional is truly impressive and I’ve been honored to coach her.”

A New Jersey native, Lloyd has played professionally for some 12 years, spanning time in the now-defunct Women’s Professional Soccer league and in the National Women’s Soccer League. She also had a brief stint with Manchester United in the Women’s Super League.

Known for her steely focus and competitiveness, Lloyd suggested after the United States’ run to the 2019 World Cup title that she would try to make the roster for the Tokyo Games, but it would likely be her last major tournament with the national team.

When the Olympics were pushed back a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Lloyd underwent a knee procedure and worked her way back under a new trainer. She also took advantage of the downtime to reconnect with her family, from whom she’d been estranged for much of her career.

“To end my career knowing my family was able to be by my side and share this last chapter with me could not have been any more special,” she said. “We will all have a lot more time to spend together now, and especially with my husband Brian, who has been my rock and biggest support system for all these years. We are both looking forward to starting this next chapter of our lives without my everyday grind of training and playing, but I will most likely need to another outlet for my competitiveness! Perhaps that will be golf?”

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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released last week, demonstrating how climate change and global warming will reach a point of no return if we don’t act immediately, should make every human being on the planet stand up and demand action.

That action must be to stop burning fossil fuels altogether, and much sooner than we’d planned. It demands that we legislate carbon fees and dividends, or similar measures, to drastically reduce carbon emissions. That action must also include developing carbon capture, preserving forests, changing how we obtain our food, distributing free birth control worldwide and mitigating the effects of global warming that we’re already too late to stop altogether.

SEND LETTERS TO: [email protected]. Please include your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes. Letters should be approximately 350 words or less.

This is not going to be inconvenient. It might involve gas rationing, paying for green infrastructure, limiting water usage, paying more for food that isn’t local.

Yet I and many of my fellow citizens are ready and willing to be inconvenienced to save our planet. A small amount of discomfort now might mean that my children and grandchildren aren’t baking in heat that the power grid can’t mitigate or wondering why there are no longer any songbirds — or trees, for that matter.

Are our politicians willing to pass legislation that might be unpopular with those constituents who still don’t understand the precipice we’re on? Are we citizens willing to cut back our meat intake, adhere to limits on mileage in gas-burning cars and take fewer showers? I am. Many are. We are desperately trying to save our only home. I will vote only for those candidates who understand that climate change is a global emergency and make it their top priority.

individual rights stop at the border of others’ rights. If global warming is allowed to go on, unchecked by strict regulation, all humans will be affected in a catastrophic way.

The house is on fire, yet we’re still sitting in the living room talking about what we should do.

Francesca Kelly, Highland Park

Afghanistan withdrawal opposes liberty

I haven’t cried in a long time, let alone from reading a newspaper, but I just did when reading about President Joe Biden’s hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Taliban is quickly filling the void and taking over.

We will soon be seeing images again of women beheaded and mass destruction. As an old former U.S. Marine, I cried NOT for the loss of my brothers who died honorably serving in Afghanistan for 20 years, but because they died in vain.

Whether intended or not, President Biden’s withdrawal honors Osama bin Laden.

Malcolm Montgomery, Hammond, Indiana

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With 22 seconds left in the first half Saturday, Bears quarterback Justin Fields took a shotgun snap, looked left for his receiver running a post route and, seeing it covered, checked down left to running back Khalil Herbert. Herbert caught the ball a half-step outside the numbers and ducked out of bounds as he was hit.

It was just a gain of five yards — but it was Bears quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo’s favorite play of the game. He told head coach Matt Nagy as much.

“Him staying in rhythm with his feet, top down and not panicking,” Nagy said Monday. “And he simply … you watch his eyes, he went to the post route and then in his progression, he just slightly moved his eyes and his feet down to Herbert, gave it to him and trusted Herbert to get out of bounds.

“That’s not easy to do. A lot of guys will scramble, run around, waste four seconds and throw the ball away. He didn’t.”

Fields was putting into practice what he’s learned in training camp: to trust his progressions. More importantly, he showcased the most encouraging aspect of the rookie’s preseason showing — his poise.

Bears players used different descriptions for how simply unaffected Fields seemed by his first serious NFL action — in a two-minute drill or otherwise — Saturday. He’ll need every ounce of that attitude to maneuver through the hype of the next three weeks.

Nagy was clear Monday that his quarterback plan remained unchanged even after Fields posted a 106.7 passer rating — the fifth-best number in the league — on Saturday. Andy Dalton remains the starter and Fields the second-stringer.

Nagy’s statement was unsurprising, prudent — and, at least for now, correct. Months of planning for Week 1 shouldn’t get scrapped because Fields fared well against second- and third-stringers on a team that didn’t game plan for him — or any other quarterback — in a preseason game.

Fields was thrilling, though, to a fan base desperate to have their first franchise quarterback in 71 years. Fields must feel their excitement — and impatience — even if he tries to avoid social media. Fans cheered him at Soldier Field on Saturday and a day later at Guaranteed Rate Field. The White Sox welcomed Bears rookies, who stood in a half-moon behind the mound as Fields threw out the first pitch before Sunday’s game against the Yankees.

The weight of expectations is a lot for Fields to carry, even if he’s never taken a regular season snap. His college experience — being a star at Ohio State garners more attention than, say, Mitch Trubisky’s one year starting at North Carolina — should make the transition to the pros easier.

His composure on the field — Fields said he was “as calm as I could be” Saturday — speaks well to his ability to navigate the circus off it.

For playing a game at Soldier Field for the first time, Fields “handled everything pretty well,” guard Cody Whitehair said.

The final drive of the first half brought that into clearer view.

“Just calm, cool, collected,” center Sam Mustipher said. “He did a great job of leading us down the field and marching our way down there for a field goal.”

Herbert, a fellow rookie, noticed.

So did everyone else inside Halas Hall.

“He didn’t seem nervous or anxious, just calmness in the huddle, calmness in the pocket,” Herbert said. “Doing what he needed to do, get the ball out of bounds, get the ball to people who he needs to get it to and then ultimately get in position to kick the field goal.”

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Things can change quickly in a year.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers returned to the team for training camp after an offseason full of speculation about his future and discontent with the franchise that became public. Things were so fractured, that Rodgers was already making plans for a post-Packers future.

“Last year at this time, I was looking at the season as my last year in Green Bay,” Rodgers told NBC Sports.

Rodgers’ has been open about his issues with the Packers front office and has lobbied in recent weeks to have some former players brought back to the organization, such as receiver Randall Cobb, a close friend of Rodgers’ whom the team traded for July 28.

Rodgers served as the guest host of the TV game show Jeopardy! but skipped all of the team’s offseason workout program.

Now, as Rodgers is practicing with the team after he and the organization restructured his contract, the relationship between both sides seems to have thawed. In a revealing press conference to open training camp, Rodgers spoke about his disagreement with many organizational decisions, specifically referencing his relationship with general manager Brian Gutekunst.

“The other one (Gutekunst), you know, I leave space and optimism for growth and change,” Rodgers told NBC. “But, you know, at this point, my focus is just on the football staff and making sure those conversations and communication are right going into the season.”

Rodgers has said that he is focused solely on winning another Super Bowl in Green Bay this season. That was part of the message he delivered to the rest of the team in a speech he gave after he broke the team down following the first practice of the season.

“I can’t remember the exact words,” Rodgers said, “but I said your thoughts are becoming real things. I talked about a positive mindset. I did want to assure the guys how special it was to be back, how committed I am to the team, how special the relationships are to me, how focused I am on this season and accomplishing all of our goals. But I talk a lot about positivity, about a mindset, about manifestation, about embracing the journey. That stuff that’s really important to me. Be present. This is a great time in our lives.”

Rodgers, 37, is entering his 17th season in the NFL and just won the NFL’s MVP award. He completed 70.7% of his throws for 4,299 yards with 48 touchdowns and just five interceptions.

“I really do love it,” Rodgers said. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come back. I’ve got so many other things that I love and I’m passionate about. I love competing. I love practice, still. I’ve had a really good camp. Last year I felt like I started a little slow and then something clicked. I’ve actually had a really good camp here. I feel good about where I’m at. …

“I think a lot of how I’ve felt is perspective. Perspective leads to a lot of the happiness in your life. If we’re looking for things to be upset about or pissed off about, I’m sure we can find them in our own life. If we’re looking for what we don’t have, I’m sure we can find it. But if we can focus on the thing we do have and the things we’re grateful for, then every day can be a little more special than the last because you realize how great of an opportunity we have.”

Read more at usatoday.com

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Lee Wright was hard at work, building a nail salon near an abandoned hospital in downstate Cairo, when Jody Johnson stopped by to introduce himself.

For Johnson, who works for the University of Illinois’ extension program, it was the first step in trust in the city of fewer than 2,200 people as extension programs across the United States — long valued in rural communities for helping farmers and supporting 4-H clubs — expand to include educating the public about COVID-19 vaccines.

Wright, 68, was unvaccinated even though he’d followed other public health guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic. When it came to the shots, he was putting his fate in his faith.

“Doctors are good, don’t get me wrong,” Wright said. “But we got to have something that we can really depend on.”

Johnson didn’t talk with Wright about the vaccines that day. He just listened.

“No one wants to feel ashamed or belittled because they’re not doing something,” Johnson said later.

Only 16% of the people living in Alexander, County, home to Cairo, are fully vaccinated against COVID, the lowest rate in Illinois, according to the state Department of Public Health.

And case counts of coronavirus infections are rising. So the nation’s Cooperative Extension System, which is tied to a network of land-grant universities, plans to spend the next two years talking about vaccines in Cairo and elsewhere.

The extension system has a tradition of bringing research-based information to communities on a wide range of topics, including water quality, food safety and disaster preparedness. With roots sunk deep in rural America, where vaccines have been slow to catch on, the system is using state and federal funding to pay for immunization education efforts tailored to specific communities.

In Illinois, the agency has a COVID resource guide for families, business owners and farmers. The office covering the southern part of the state is looking to hire someone in the community to help spread the word on why vaccinations matter. Johnson also wants to work with churches, civic groups and business owners.

And 4-H clubs have been making masks and face shields.

“This is not our first global pandemic,” said Carissa Nelson, a 4-H spokesperson in Illinois, noting that the organization’s agents and club members nursed patients during the 1918 flu pandemic.

In Cairo, a long history of racial tension dating to the Civil War still stings. As in rural towns across the United States, many in the downstate town feel underappreciated and misunderstood. And vaccine apathy is common in Cairo, where infection rates remained low until recently.

“We haven’t had great turnouts,” said Tyrone Coleman, president and co-founder of the Alexander and Pulaski NAACP chapter, which has helped organize vaccine clinics in Cairo.

In June, Coleman invited the health department to a Juneteenth celebration at St. Mary’s Park. More than 300 people attended. But a state pop-up clinic drew just two people seeking vaccinations, Coleman said.

More than 15,000 people lived in Cairo in the early 20th century, helping it earn the nicknames “Little Chicago” and “the Gateway to the South.” Old factories, antebellum homes, an ornate library and a vacant hospital remain as reminders of the city’s past. The library prominently displays the work of Mark Twain, who, after traveling through Cairo, wrote about the city in 1884 in “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”

In the novel, Cairo represents freedom and the chance for a better life.

But the hospital was shut down in 1987. The only grocery store in Cairo closed years ago, public housing was torn down in recent years, and the only nursing home was closed during the pandemic without much notice.

Fewer than 2,200 people, most of them Black, live in Cairo, which is often mislabeled by reporters and travel guides as abandoned.

“Cairo is not a ghost town,” said Ronnie Woods, a pastor and retired schoolteacher. “It’s not dead at all.”

Tourists still stop by to see the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

But they don’t typically see the rocky riverbank where locals fish for their dinner. Beverly Davis, 60, heads there often, rod in hand, giving much of her catch away to others. The scenic waterfront, though, is carpeted with driftwood and dead fish that washed ashore.

“I guess it’s meant to be like this,” Davis said, standing on the riverbank among the fish carcasses. ” ‘Cause, if not, it would be better.”

But many continue to believe their city will return to its past glory.

“The world hears that this is a negative part of the country, and it’s not,” Johnson said. “We’ve got too many good things and people here.”

University of Illinois Extension director Jody Johnson (right) exchanges contact information with Lee Wright (left) and his son Roman Wright. The extension’s office in southern Illinois has launched a vaccination education program that aims to win over the unvaccinated in Cairo.Cara Anthony /KHN

On a recent day, the only outdoor basketball court in town, anchored by a single hoop, was busy in a rural community that already was fighting to stay alive long before the pandemic. The men playing didn’t seem worried about COVID.

“I haven’t had COVID, so I feel like I don’t need to get vaccinated right now,” said Jeffery DeWitt, 24. “I’ll just take it as it goes.”

Wright’s son Roman Wright, 36, said much the same thing while helping his father build the nail salon across town. He works for the prison system, and one of its facilities nearby reported COVID cases. But he hadn’t contracted the virus and, like his father, said he didn’t plan on getting the shots.

“I’m like my dad,” he said. “I was born and raised in church all my life. So I say we believe in God. I know my parents pray for me. We pray for each other, and we just believe in God.”

Woods, the pastor, has a different view. He keeps his vaccination card in a plastic sheath and carries it wherever he goes.

“I have strong faith,” said Woods, 66. “And, at my age, my risk factors, I just felt that God placed science there to help us.”

But Woods said it’s going to take work to persuade others in Cairo to get vaccinated even if they know someone who died of COVID.

Tourists still stop by to see the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers in Cairo, where commercial ships dock on the banks.Cara Anthony / KHN

“It’s going to take more than explaining,” Woods said. “It is going to take a cultural shift because people are just not trusting.”

That’s one reason Johnson is searching for a local voice to lead the extension service’s vaccine education program. As a 51-year-old white man who grew up in a predominantly white community 45 miles away from Cairo, he recognizes that locals would be more likely to share their thoughts with someone who lives in town. He is searching for someone who will spend time with locals who don’t hold titles and positions.

“Everybody doesn’t think like me,” Johnson said. “So we need to take that into consideration.”

KHN (Kaiser Health News) produces in-depth journalism on health issues.

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