Heather Simpson, a Texas mom, found herself convinced vaccines were unsafe. But then, something changed. She became a vaccine activist and now tours the country telling her story. She said the debate has pitted neighbors and relatives against one another.
“We’re fighting an anti-vaxxer like they are the bad guy, when really it’s anxiety we’re fighting, it’s misinformation we’re fighting, it’s people with money that run ads we’re fighting. We’re not fighting the freaked-out mom. Our fight isn’t against people, it’s against ideas and bigger things outside of that,” she added.
Simpson talks about why vaccine opponents are so convinced and how to have conversations with them about their concerns.
Lavon Robinson leads a discussion about financial aid with a group of juniors at Downers Grove South High School, where he was a college counselor. WBEZ shadowed Robinson last school year, an especially difficult one for college admissions.