Introductory*
City of Baltimore
Council Bill R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Stokes
A Resolution Entitled
A Council Resolution concerning
title
Recognizing Systemic Racism as a Public Health Crisis
For the purpose of recognizing systemic racism as a public health crisis.
body
Recitals
Whereas, Systemic racism has been an aspect of American life since the founding of this country;
Whereas, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have declared that health is determined in part by access to social and economic opportunities, and that the conditions in which we live affect why the health outcomes of some Americans are better than those of others;
Whereas, In recent decades, scientific research how shown that racism is a fundamental cause of poor health outcomes for racial minorities;
Whereas, Racial inequities have significant negative effects of the health outcomes of black and brown residents of Baltimore City and elsewhere;
Whereas, Systemic racism led to housing policies that created segregation, which resulted in black and brown residents of Baltimore City and other cities, living in poisoned environments filled with water pollution and air pollution and lacking basic access to affordable, fresh foods and efficient public transportation;
Whereas, Segregated, impoverished neighborhoods lack employment opportunities for residents, which can lead residents to turn to crime to pay for basic living expenses, which in turn makes such neighborhoods unsafe and stressful for residents to live in and thus leads to an increase in violent deaths for residents and an increase in residents’ susceptibility to a varie...
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