ISSUE

Health Equity & Racial Justice

Across the country, public health departments work to eliminate the inequities resulting from social injustice. Differences in health outcomes continue to persist for Americans of different races and ethnicities, including in large cities – often due to determining factors such as structural racism, income, education, exposure to violence, transportation, and access to healthcare.

Through public education, innovative programming, and collaboration with other government agencies and community partners, they work tirelessly to improve the health of everyone in their communities. 

Recent common sense solutions include paid sick leave, livable wage statutes, toxic waste remediation, and making safe, healthy, and affordable housing available. 

Policy recommendations

That said, while hundreds of jurisdictions declared racism a public health crisis in 2020, since then too many have slipped back to “business as usual.” As a coalition, we are working to ensure we keep better pace with the racial justice intentions expressed in 2020.

Crowd kneeling with heads bowed and fists raised. Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash.

Report

Centering racial justice in the public health ecosystem

We must reignite our collective, enduring pursuit and demand for bold transformational change rooted in equity and racial justice. This brief, co-authored with our partners at Prevention Institute, synthesizes recommendations from many groups on how to center racial justice as a part of the public health ecosystem.

 

 

Centering racial justice in the public health ecosystem Download the report
Stylized image of fist held up in front of anti-racist banners. Original photo by Janine Robinson on Unsplash

Frontline Blog

Beyond health disparities: confronting cultural racism

We have worked really hard to understand and address structural racism but it’s not sufficient and does not absolve us from understanding cultural barriers, too. An asset-based perspective can clear the clutter to help us envision health, equity, justice and longevity and plot our way in that direction.

 

Beyond health disparities: confronting cultural racism Read the article
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Member spotlight

The fifth webinar in our Cities: The Future of Health series features Sandra Castillo and Natalie Goodnow of Austin Public Health detailing the concrete steps their department has taken to uproot structural racism in their work and their communities.