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To: Cincinnati Residents & the Members of Cincinnati City Council

Join The Health Gap in Supporting City Resolution Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis

The Cincinnati City Council Passed the resolution to declare racism a public health crisis in the City of Cincinnati.

We are asking Cincinnati Residents to show support of Cincinnati City Council Members P.G. Sittenfeld, Jan-Michele Kearney, and Wendell Young’s resolution to declare racism as a public health crisis. Please note that this is more than a declaration, but an action. Public health is meant to protect and improve the health of people and their communities through educational programs, administering services, recommending policies, lowering health disparities with accessible healthcare, and much more. As it stands now the health disparities between black Ohioans and white Ohioans are wide. By signing this petition you stand in solidarity to declare that racism is a public health crisis that needs to be addressed in the City of Cincinnati.

Why is this important?

This resolution would have City of Cincinnati to formally recognize racism as a public health crisis and would solidify City Council’s commitment to improving the quality of life and the health of Cincinnati’s minority residents. The resolution acknowledges racism as “a social power system, with no biological basis, and acts on systemic, institutional, and interpersonal levels, and the impact of this power system is that racism grants social advantages to some while stripping those advantages from others.” It also acknowledges that racism perpetuates disparate outcomes in areas such as housing, education, employment, transportation, health and criminal justice and disadvantages minority communities in addition to weakening the collective success of our entire community. Multiple accounts from sources such as The Urban League of Southwestern Ohio, CDC, and the Cincinnati Health Department have highlighted the historical disparities in health outcomes in minority communities, especially predominately black communities, that continue to persist today.

This resolution would address these issues to ensure that the health of all Cincinnati residents is prioritized no matter their race. Here a few of the outcomes for this resolution:
• Promote equity through all legislative policies enacted by City Council
• Affirm City Council’s commitment to addressing minority health inequities by focusing on the social determinants of health that drive health outcomes including but not limited to crime, social capital, education, transportation food access, housing, access to health services, and more.
• City Council will establish a task force made up of community leaders and health professionals with a mission to dismantle systemic and institutional racism and determine how best to promote racial equity throughout the City of Cincinnati.

You can view the resolution at: https://www.dropbox.com/s/pqpggl5aof3s20a/Resolution%20-%20Racism%20as%20a%20Public%20Health%20Crisis.pdf?dl=0

Updates

2020-11-27 16:10:14 -0500

100 signatures reached

2020-08-07 10:31:46 -0400

Petition is successful with 88 signatures

2020-08-04 17:15:17 -0400

50 signatures reached

2020-08-01 12:10:08 -0400

25 signatures reached

2020-07-25 02:09:27 -0400

10 signatures reached