Major Takeaways
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett’s groundbreaking work was central to developing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, making her one of the most influential scientists of the century.
She represents a new era of Black leadership in STEM, where visibility, representation, and innovation collide.
Her advocacy, especially for young Black students, shows her commitment to building the next generation of scientists and thinkers.
Revolutionary: Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett Ep. 2
Alright family, welcome back to Urban City’s Black Agenda, where we don’t wait for history we catch it in the act. I’m thaddeus Myles and Today, we’re stepping into the world of science, brilliance, and unapologetic Black genius with someone whose work changed the course of the entire planet: Dr. Kizzmekia “Kizzy” Corbett.
Now listen… when the world shut down in 2020, folks were panic-buying toilet paper like Armageddon was coming through the front door. Social media was out here diagnosing everything except the truth. But behind all that noise, in a quiet lab, a Black woman with fire in her brain and purpose in her spirit was building the foundation for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine a breakthrough that would save millions of lives.
And she didn’t do it for applause. She didn’t do it for headlines. She did it because her entire career has been rooted in one idea: science belongs to everyone, but excellence? That’s ours too.
Kizzmekia Corbett grew up in North Carolina, gifted, curious, and already asking questions that made grown folks nervous. By the time she reached her teens, she wasn’t just playing with science she was chasing it down like it owed her money. Her mentors saw it early: this girl wasn’t going to “be something one day.” She already was something.
And when she joined the NIH’s Vaccine Research Center, she brought something the scientific world can’t calculate the cultural understanding of what Black communities face when medicine gets complicated. It’s one thing to build a vaccine. It’s another thing entirely to build trust.
Dr. Corbett did both.
Let’s call it what it is: When COVID hit, the scientific race to develop a vaccine was the largest global medical sprint in modern history. And at the center of that sprint was a Black woman leading a team with precision, calm, and brilliance that honestly deserves its own statue.
People love to say, “Black folks aren’t in STEM like that.”
Nah, baby we BEEN here. We just finally have names that can’t be erased!!
Her work on mRNA vaccine science wasn’t created overnight. She’d been studying this technology for YEARS. So when this new virus emerged, Kizzy wasn’t scrambling she was prepared. She had already mapped out the blueprint. Already studied the spike proteins. Already built the scientific foundation that would become Moderna’s vaccine.
While politicians argued…
While the public panicked…
While cable news anchors tried to pronounce “immunologist”…
Kizzy was in the lab doing work that history will never forget.
And let’s talk about representation for a second. Because when photos of the vaccine team surfaced and Black folks saw a young Black woman in braids leading cutting-edge biomedical research? Baby… that was soul food for the culture. That was the reminder that intelligence doesn’t need permission.
Dr. Corbett didn’t just show up she showed out. And she didn’t water herself down to make the room comfortable.
She is the room.
And like the revolutionary she is, she didn’t stop at the science. She hit the streets. She spoke to This episode spotlights Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, the pioneering immunologist whose research helped create the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Her work redefined scientific leadership, expanded representation in STEM, and demonstrated the global impact of Black innovation and public health advocacy., Black communities, barbershops meeting people where they were, answering questions without condescension, bringing humanity back into a public-health crisis.
A scientist who can talk molecular immunology AND break it down like your favorite auntie explaining how to season food properly? That’s a gift.
Let’s also give her flowers for pushing the scientific community to confront its own biases. She advocates for diversity not as a checkbox but as an engine for innovation. Her message is clear: the future of science is multicultural, multilingual, and melanated.
But the part that really seals her legacy?
She stayed human.
She stayed grounded.
She stayed connected to the communities she represents.
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett didn’t just help produce a vaccine.
She helped produce HOPE.
She proved that brilliance comes from everywhere including neighborhoods where people don’t always get the spotlight. She reminded us that Black women have been saving the world quietly for generations… she just happened to do it loudly enough that nobody can pretend they didn’t hear it!
So today, we honor the revolutionary mind who didn’t just contribute to history she redirected it.
I’m Thaddeus Myles, Keep it locked to UrbanCityPodcast.com and the Urban City Podcast app all month long for Urban City Podcast’s Urban City Black Agenda! Powered by 4AM Roastery. Get yours now at 4amroastery.com!
