Racism is a public health crisis

We’re facing a state of emergency.

Not only has the death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic risen above 105,000 in the United States alone, but it seems to be disproportionately lethal for Black Americans.

While COVID-19 is still a growing pandemic, it’s unmasking itself as a racial injustice as well.

A growing number of communities are treating racial disparities like these as a public health issue.

Last year, Milwaukee declared racism a public health crisis. And this May, amid rising racial disparities in COVID-19 deaths. Franklin County — the largest county in Ohio and home to the state’s capital, Columbus — did the same.

But in the wake of George Floyd’s death and nationwide uprisings that were often met with harsh repression, it’s clear that COVID-19 isn’t the only epidemic disproportionately devastating Black communities.

At least 1,252 Black Americans have been shot and killed by the police since 2015.

Columbus is no exception. In 2017, the Columbus Police Department was ranked number one among large U.S. cities whose police forces disproportionately kill Black people.

By May 29 this year — following George Floyd’s murder, and on what would have been Tate’s 18th birthday — the city was engulfed by protests many felt were overdue.

Although the county had declared racism a health crisis only days earlier, police cracked down harshly. Even elected officials who showed up to support demonstrators — including Columbus city council members and Rep. Joyce Beatty, a 70-yearold African American congresswoman — were maced by police.

As more and more citizens take to the street to protest these injustices, law enforcement will need to take accountability for their injustices towards AfricanAmericans in order for resolutions — in health and public safety — to be found.

But one thing is clear: In more ways than one, racism is a threat to our public health.

Our community — and this country — need to treat it that way.