As nationwide protests continue over the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed when a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck last month, Ohio is trying to declare racism a public health emergency.
“Revolutions are not a one-time event,” Brent added, a sentiment that feels particularly urgent during this current uprising, as Black people risk our health during the coronavirus pandemic, fighting for our lives against a militarized police force that keeps killing us.
She’s a native of Cincinnati who lived through the city’s 2001 protest against the police killing of Black teenager Timothy Turner, and sees Ohio’s step towards declaring racism a public emergency as an encouraging step: “I’m really proud of Ohio and I think other states should do the same.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for Black women but according to the American Medical Association Journal of Ethics, this is largely due to race-related stress, barriers to care, and racism from health care providers.
In a statement, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) ― a group of 3,000 local health departments across the U.S. ― expressed support for actions like “eliminating discriminatory policing practices, such as racial profiling and stop-and-frisk, which disproportionately target Black people and communities,” and “holding police accountable for discriminatory actions and discriminatory use of force.”
