Title
To declare racism as a public health crisis in the city of Richmond.
Body
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, "race" is a social construct with no basis in human biology and was created to uphold a system of oppression for Black and Brown People; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, the Black experience of racism is rooted in the foundation of America, beginning with chattel slavery in 1619 through the Jim Crow era of the twentieth century resulting in the denial of opportunity and related hardships and disadvantages for people of color in every area of life; and
WHEREAS, Council believes in the sanctity, dignity, and worth of all human beings; and
WHEREAS, Council believes a social system based on racism and inequity is heinous, affecting multiple levels of human existence because such a system is internalized and interpersonal; systemic, institutional and structural; and unfairly assigns opportunity and worth based on the color of person's skin; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, it has been shown that racism is linked to more negative health outcomes for Black people, most recently in the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but more commonly in the high rates of infant mortality, maternal death, breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, hypertension, diabetes, and mental health crises in Black communities; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, the current impact of racism on the quality of life for Black people can be seen, not only in the health and environmental issues of limited access to healthy food and water, and higher rates of lead poisoning, leading to reduced life expectancy among Black people, but also in the form of discriminatory lending practices known as "redlining" that limited access to healthy residential areas; and
WHEREAS, upon the information and belief of the Council, the City of Richmond is...
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