King County Board of Health declares racism as a public health crisis
Jun 18, 2020, 5:34 PM | Updated: 5:34 pm
Demonstrators walk during a Black Lives Matter of Seattle-King County silent march on June 12, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images)
(Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images)
The King County Board of Health held a meeting Thursday to discuss a resolution that would declare racism as a public health crisis. The board approved the resolution.
“The strain of racism that Black, indigenous and other people of color in our community live with every day leads to differences in health and well-being, opportunities for employment, education, and housing, and truly is a public health crisis,” said King County Board of Health Chair Joe McDermott. “Our action today places anti-racism, already a cornerstone of the work of Seattle-King County Department of Public Health, at the foundation of the Board’s policies and programs that reach across every community in Martin Luther King Jr. County.”
The COVID-19 pandemic provides an example of a crisis on top of the existing crisis of racism, according to Public Health — Seattle & King County.
UW race theory scholar explains how racism plays a role in public health
In a post originally published on June 11, 2020, the county government and Public Health – Seattle & King County committed to implementing a racially equitable response that centers on community.
“We recognize that historically and currently King County has been complicit in maintaining and perpetuating structural racism, and that as an institution we must be a vital player in dismantling oppressive systems that are grounded in white supremacy,” the Public Health Insider post reads.
Community leaders and organizations will be provided with resources to help create solutions. These commitments are made now, said public health officials, to stop both disease and racism and lay the foundation for a better community moving forward.
“We will use quantitative data, including data about racial inequities, along with voices and know-how from community leaders and residents to get to solutions that work and that are sustainable.”
The board recognizes the need for new systems directly from the communities that are most affected by racism, oppression, and colonization.
Public health officials said they would adopt and commit to an “Anti-Racism Crisis Response Bill of Rights.” More announcements are expected as the local leaders work in partnership with community members and organizations.
