Donation of 44,000 medical grade PPE to Native communities in
Arizona, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah
Led by Founder and CEO Sharon Prince, Grace Farms Foundation has partnered with artist Carrie Mae Weems and her Resist COVID/Take 6! initiative to issue an urgent call to support Native communities with life-saving PPE. To date, Grace Farms has delivered more than 44,000 medical grade Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to healthcare centers that support Native communities in Arizona, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.
“Since last March, we have seen the disparity and lack of critical organization to equitably protect all communities, and now Carrie and I, with the wherewithal of Grace Farms Foundation, are coming together to support Native communities who are still at heightened risk of COVID-19 a year later. At the onset of the pandemic, we immediately put together Grace Farms Alliance Against COVID-19 to fill a glaring gap of fundamental protection for front line workers and those who couldn’t access face masks, depending on the goodwill of business colleagues to volunteer organizations across the country, extending to China. Thanks to trusted partners like Carrie Mae Weems, we are able to pinpoint the gaps and create a call to action.”
“With over 29 million infected and more than 525,000 deaths—and counting—in this country, we finally have safe vaccines against COVID-19. I’ve taken my shot!” said Carrie Mae Weems. “Unfortunately, many people of color, including front line health workers, are hesitant and or are refusing. This is a problem that could become a crisis. Resist COVID/Take 6! aims to raise awareness, in the communities that need it most, about the measures necessary to survive the pandemic—including, at this stage, the importance of being vaccinated. With this public awareness campaign, we hope to help, in some small way, to save lives. We must protect ourselves and our elders.”
Internationally renowned artist Carrie Mae Weems has used multiple mediums (photography, video, digital imagery, text, fabric and more) to explore themes of cultural identity, sexism, class, political systems, family relationships and the consequences of power. Profoundly disturbed by the impact of COVID-19 on the BIPOC community, Weems launched Resist COVID/Take 6! an artist-driven public art and awareness campaign focused on saving lives. Since March of 2020, she has worked tirelessly to raise critical awareness on the many ways racial inequities have been made manifest by this pandemic.
Grace Farms Foundation, a leading humanitarian organization located in New Canaan, CT, led the procurement and donation of 2 million PPE since March of last year. In her role as CEO and Founder, Sharon Prince activated Grace Farms’ 80-acre site as a temporary PPE and food relief distribution site, and convened local and global partners for interdisciplinary humanitarian causes to create a highly efficient and global coalition, Grace Farms Alliance Against COVID-19. The Alliance includes Hamilton Beach Brands, Inc. Ningxia Yanbao Foundation, XJ Group, and more.
To learn more and take action, visit resistcovidtake6.org. Digital materials to help raise awareness of the importance of taking the COVID-19 vaccine can be downloaded via QR code.
