Richmond says racism is a public health crisis. What happens next?

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RICHMOND, Virginia – When gunshots rang out in DC National Park during a major league baseball game earlier this month, Richmond City Councilor Michael Jones said his reaction right now is an example of why the city has declared racism a public health crisis.

Jones was at the game seated along the third baseline.

I’m embarrassed that I wasn’t bothered by the shots because I hear them all the time here, Jones said near a house in South Richmond. If I’m like that at 53, what about those kids growing up in there?

The resolution makes Richmond the first town in Virginia to make this public health declaration. The Virginia General Assembly adopted a similar declaration earlier in the year.

You can read the full text of the resolution here.

It is time to take a stand against racism; it’s time to tackle systems of inequity, Jones said.

Jackie Lawrence, director of health equity for the Richmond-Henrico Health District, said local data shows residents of historically black neighborhoods experience far higher rates of heart disease, diabetes and infant mortality than other parts of the city.

If you remove the diapers multiple times, you will find that the black community suffers from underlying illnesses at higher rates, she said. I would dare say that all areas of health have been affected by racism.

As the resolution recognizes, policies related to housing, economic fortunes, access to fresh food and transportation make these health outcomes more likely for Black Richmond, according to Lawrence.

A lot of people may think that these are just one-on-one verbal conversations, someone is saying something derogatory to you. Yes, it is a form. However, this statement does underline the structural and systemic damage that has been done to communities, she said.

The resolution does not mention specific programs or funds that will be used to address the real impacts of systemic racism on the residents of Richmond. Instead, it presents a ten-step process for recognizing its impacts and partnering with local organizations to solve the problem.

Jones said that while the resolutions lack bite, the vote starts the conversation and tells the city to start investing in historically underfunded communities.

We can do both and, but that means equity where we can get a little more out of this budget cycle than the first or second district, and we have to get to a point where it was okay, he said. If we were just funneling millions of dollars into the same system, we would get the same result. We need to fine-tune the system, build intentionality into fairness, and make sure that everyone who talks about fairness is not running when it’s time to be fair.

Virginia is one of 15 states to declare racism a public health crisis, according to the American Public Health Association. You can browse localities with similar statements here.

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