Object Details
- Description
- Green, white, and blue paper posters. Printed on the top half: " I AM / HELPING AT THE / GREENBELT CVC/ BECAUSE" with a blank white space below for individuals to complete the statement. Homeland Security seal appears at the bottom with "FEMA." Total of 55 individual sheets: 50 single sheets, and one (1) set of 5 sheets taped together as they appeared when taped to the walls of the vaccination center observation room. Each sheet was filled out by an individual working at the Greenbelt Metro Community Vaccination Center.
- The Greenbelt Metro Community Vaccination Center (CVC) was established and run by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) in partnership with Maryland state and local government. The vaccination center was open from April 7, 2021, through June 1, 2021, and had the capacity to administer 3,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses per day. In total, nearly 120,000 doses of vaccine were administered at the center. The center provided both the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and the one-dose Janssen (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine.
- The center was constructed in Prince George’s County, Maryland, in the parking lot of the Greenbelt Metro Station. The county was experiencing lower vaccination rates than much of the DC region and had a diverse population in terms of race, ethnicity, and income levels. The metro location helped facilitate public access. To help alleviate language and disability barriers to vaccination, the Greenbelt CVC provided on-site interpreters for eight different spoken languages, as well as American Sign Language (ASL) and Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDI). Posters located at the site assured participants that no US immigration officials or enforcement (ICE) would be present at or near the vaccination center.
- Vaccine recipients at the CVC were invited to complete the statement “I got my COVID Shot Today! Because …” on small posters designed for the site. These individual statements papered the walls of the Observation Area and became a backdrop for “selfies” and media reports. Due to the enthusiastic response to this initiative, FEMA created “I am helping at the Greenbelt CVC Because…” posters for staff and volunteers to complete.
- As a large, government sponsored operation in the Washington area, the Greenbelt site attracted its share of media attention and VIP visits. Former President Barack Obama visited the site on May 6, 2021, and signed the poster, “Share Your Story! Cuentenos su historia!”, which marked the designated “selfie” area.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- Associated Name
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
- date made
- 2021
- Credit Line
- Transfer from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Physical Description
- paper (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall (each poster): 21.6 cm x 14 cm; 8 1/2 in x 5 1/2 in
- Object Name
- posters, vaccination center, set of
