A Republican lawmaker questioned during a meeting of the Ohio Senate Health Committee if “the colored population” is contracting coronavirus at disproportionate rates because they do not wash their hands “as well as other groups.”
The American Civil Liberties Union called for state Sen. Steve Huffman to step down from office Thursday following his comments that were made during a hearing for a resolution to declare racism a public health crisis.
Huffman, who is also a Dayton-area emergency room physician, caused controversy after he questioned Angela Dawson, executive director of the Ohio Commission of Minority Health, on Tuesday over why the COVID-19 rates for black Ohioans were higher than other populations.
Shibani Chettri, an epidemiology PhD student and researcher at Ohio State University, also testified Tuesday as a proponent for the resolution and said witnessing Huffman’s comments was “egregious.”
Howse noted the resolution to declare racism an issue of public health in Ohio is trying to address and resolve comments like Huffman’s.
