Stories from the Community


Even with COVID-19 vaccines available to the public, not everyone has chosen to be vaccinated. According to the CDC, roughly 2,115,960 Alabamians have completed the vaccine series making our state’s vaccination rate just 42.1%, one of the lowest in the country.

As the world approaches its second year in the pandemic, it’s important to recognize the role burnout plays in people’s decision-making. Many people, especially those who are still deciding whether or not they want to be vaccinated, have already been told to do so. This approach, often accompanied by strong feelings and little explanation, can lead to further skepticism.

To help ease tensions, Alabama CEAL wants to take a more compassionate approach.
We’re reaching people across the state by sharing COVID stories from real community members.

Click one of the + signs below to hear voices across Alabama share why the COVID-19 vaccine is important to them; or

Voices of Alabama

Voices of Alabama
Jefferson County Mobile County Dallas County Montgomery County Shelby County Madison County Colbert County Limestone County Etowah County Marion County Calhoun County Tuscaloosa County Greene County Chilton County Coosa County Tallapoosa County Chambers County Sumter County Elmore County Macon County Russell County Bullock County Lowndes County Choctaw County Clarke County Conecuh County Crenshaw County Pike County Barbour County Henry County Houston County Escambia County Baldwin County Lawrence County Autauga County Morgan County Lauderdale County Talladega County Hale County Fayette County Cullman County Lee County Walker County Marengo County Geneva County Pickens County Perry County Wilcox County Blount County St. Clair County Cherokee County Bib County Clay County Butler County Coffee County Covington County Washington County

Jefferson County

Pastor Mike McClure Jr. (PMJ)
Pastor,
Rock City Church

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or
More Jefferson County Voices

Mobile County

Kyra Humphrey
Graduate Student
University of South Alabama

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or
More Mobile County Voices

Dallas County

Tonya Chestnut
Co-Pastor
First Anointing House of Worship

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or
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Montgomery County

Terri Sewell
Congresswoman
Alabama 7th Congressional District

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Shelby County

Cameron Askew, M.D.
Bariatric and General Surgery

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Madison County

William Doody
Resident

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Colbert County

Chyna Fitzgerald
Resident

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Limestone County

Rosemary Robinson
Resident

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or
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Etowah County

Ahmad DeRamus
Resident

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Marion County

Adrienne McCollum Smith
Resident

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Calhoun County

Jazmin Lopez
Resident

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Tuscaloosa County

Undre Phillips
Resident

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Greene County

Sharon Washington
Resident

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Chilton County

Earnest Abercrombie
Resident

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Coosa County

Miyoka Oliver
Resident

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Tallapoosa County

Demarcus McClain
Resident

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Chambers County

Aleea Staples
Resident

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Sumter County

Chris Spencer
Resident

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Elmore County

Tavarus Finley
Resident

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Macon County

Jerry Smith
Resident

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or

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Russell County

Tiffany Whitlow
Resident, Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer, Acclinate

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Bullock County

Rod Smith
Resident

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Lowndes County

Nyla Hayes
Resident

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Choctaw County

Gwendolyn Anderson
Resident

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Clarke County

Deborah Robinson
Resident

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Conecuh County

Shakira & Family
Resident

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Crenshaw County

Dequarius Reed
Resident

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Pike County

Anthony Thomas
Resident

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Barbour County

James Thomas Sr.
Resident

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Henry County

Dorothy Brown
Resident

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or
More Henry County Videos

Houston County

Santoria King
Resident

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Escambia County

Treasure Edwards
Resident

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Baldwin County

Zach White, M.D.
Medical Resident, Graduate of University of South Alabama College of Medicine 

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Lawrence County

Melcha Satchel
Resident

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Autauga County

Devin Townsend
Resident

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Morgan County

Stacia Johnson
Resident

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Lauderdale County

Roderick Sheppard
Resident

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Talladega County

Eleanor Jones
Resident

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Hale County

Emma
Resident

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Fayette County

Martha & Rosemary
Residents

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Cullman County

Samantha Whitfield
Resident

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Lee County

Marlon Chambers
Resident

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Walker County

Marengo County

Jarlecia Price
Resident

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Geneva County

James
Geneva County, NAACP President

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Pickens County

Ms. Jones
Resident

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Perry County

Vickie Moore
Executive Director, Alabama Conference of Black Mayors

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Wilcox County

Michael Gordon
Mayor of Yellow Bluff, Alabama

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Blount County

Teresa Smiley
Resident

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St. Clair County

Kim Speights
Resident

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Cherokee County

Bib County

John Forrest
Resident

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Clay County

Michelle Lindsey
Resident and Salon Owner

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Butler County

Tasheka Lee
Resident

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Coffee County

Teresa
Resident

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Covington County

Toby Thomas
Resident

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Washington County

Latisha Anthony
Resident

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Share Your Story

If you’ve received the COVID-19 vaccine, we would love to know what motivated that decision. Was it family? Friends? Hope to return to normal?
Let us know in a short video and you could be chosen as a featured video for the map above!

Before you get started, here are a few helpful tips to record a good, high-quality video.