Sarah Finnegan
Kimberly Cook
Vestavia Hills City Council member Kimberly Cook apologized on Friday following a comment she made on her Facebook page that agreed with someone likening so-called “vaccine passports” to the Yellow Stars that Jewish people were forced to wear during the Holocaust.
In the since-deleted post, Cook had shared Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s recent clarification of the state’s new “Vaccine Passport” law, which seeks to ban efforts by state and local entities to make residents show their vaccine card or reveal their vaccination status, and also bans businesses from enforcing such a law. The law follows the announcement by some cities, like New York City and New Orleans, which have announced vaccine or negative COVID-19 test requirements for some events and venues.
After someone commented that “pretty soon we’ll be asked to wear a gold ‘U’ on our breast pockets, a la Germany’s Jewish badges,” Cook responded, “Yes this analogy fits perfectly” and, in a follow-up comment, “That is what this vaccine passport bill seeks to prevent, I believe.”
Following some outrage on social media, Cook issued the following statement to the Vestavia Voice on Friday morning:
“I am deeply sorry for my Facebook comment. There is no comparison to the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust and vaccine passports, and it was offensive and thoughtless of me to suggest such a comparison. I have personally met a Holocaust survivor and understand the vile evil that was done to them. I was in too much of a hurry when I responded to comments made by others on my original, simple Facebook post to provide the Attorney General’s clarification of the new Vaccine Passport law and did not think carefully about what I wrote. I apologize to my constituents for any embarrassment or hurt this has caused them and humbly admit my mistake.”
Cook has served on the City Council since 2016 and was re-elected last year, facing no opposition.
