https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/05/rfk-jr-hearing-black-people-immune-systemsDuring Robert F Kennedy Jr’s Senate confirmation hearing on 30 January, Angela Alsobrooks, a Democratic senator from Maryland, pressed the nominee on his past claims that Black people have a stronger immune system than white people and thereby, should receive vaccines on a different schedule than them. “What different vaccine schedule would you say I should have received?” Alsobrooks, who is Black, asked the health secretary nominee. Kennedy then referenced a “series of studies” showing that “to particular antigens, Blacks have a much stronger reaction”.
The exchange is cause for alarm for many, as it signified how close a man who holds medically racist beliefs was to becoming the country’s leading health official. Dr Richard Kennedy – an author of the study referenced at the hearing, who is not related to Kennedy – told NPR that while it’s true the immune response to vaccination can vary by race, sex and “potentially dozens of other factors”, the data does not support a change in vaccine schedule based on race.
Alsobrooks went on to characterize the nominee’s incorrect interpretation of medical research as “dangerous”, noting the potential for the misinformation to have far-reaching and tangible effects on people’s lives. Shannon Cavanagh, the department chair of sociology at University of Texas, Austin, agreed with this sentiment, telling the Guardian that ideas like Kennedy’s could be used to rationalize the lack of care for an under-served population. She noted that even though false claims that Black people possess a stronger immune system or higher pain tolerance persist, the demographic actually suffers from higher maternal mortality rates and lower life expectancy than other groups.
