Synopsis

While much of the city stayed home during the spread of COVID-19, Reyes continued working as an essential worker, helping keep the city running. Like many migrants who risked their lives to survive during the pandemic, he reflects on the importance of vaccination as a way to build protection against illness—for himself, his family, and his community.

Interpreter

Reyes Hernández.

Context
Produced between August 2021 and February 2022, the Vaccine Equity Partner Engagement (VAPE) Project is a public service announcement (PSA) video series created for Transnational Villages Network Inc. with support from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Developed in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, the series aims to raise awareness about the COVID-19 vaccine within migrant communities through culturally tailored messaging and multilingual access. The project features interpreters from diverse Indigenous and migrant language communities—including Mixe, Me’phaa, Nahuatl, Tu’un Savi, K’iche’, Garifuna, Mam, Kichwa, and Quechua—helping ensure that vital public health information reaches communities that are often underserved by mainstream communication channels.

Role
Director, Producer & Editor