June 12, 2019
Page 9
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O PINION
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Combating Racism as a Public Health Crisis
An approach
that should
inspire others
J eSSiCah p ierre
Racism is often
viewed as an action
performed by indi-
viduals. But even
if we got rid of all
America’s
preju-
diced individuals,
racism would still
exist in the systems they built.
Systemic racism, writer Jenee
Desmond-Harris explains, refers
to how racial disparities operate
“in major parts of U.S. society:
the economy, politics, education,
and more.”
Racism, in other words, isn’t
just someone using a racial slur.
It’s also the poor schooling in
predominantly black and brown
neighborhoods, the racial wealth
gap, housing discrimination, mass
incarceration, police killings of
unarmed black and brown people,
higher infant mortality rates for
people of color, and unequal ac-
cess to health care.
As governments struggle to ad-
dress (or even acknowledge) these
racial inequalities, officials in Mil-
by
waukee, Wisc. , decided to take a
unique approach by declaring rac-
ism a public health crisis.
Milwaukee is one of the most
racially unequal cities in the coun-
try, coming in at No. 2 last year on
a list of “The Worst Cities
for Black Americans” by
24/7 Wall Street, a finan-
cial news site. The report
blamed Milwaukee’s dis-
criminatory housing pol-
icies throughout the 20th
century for the city’s cur-
rent inequality.
deep income and wealth inequal-
ity today.
Even now, the typical black
household in Milwaukee earns
less than half the typical white
household. And “while the white
poverty rate in Milwaukee of 7.6
percent is one of the lowest in the
country,” the report notes, “the
black poverty rate of 36.4 percent
is among the highest.”
When it comes to imprison-
ment, the story is the same. Black
people in Wisconsin are locked
up at nearly 11 times the rate of
Even now, the typical
black household in
Milwaukee earns less
than half the typical white
household.
Citing research by the Uni-
versity of Wisconsin-Madison, it
noted that “16 of the 18 suburbs
of Milwaukee County enacted re-
strictive housing covenants in the
1940s, many of which remained in
effect into the 1960s and 1970s.”
This segregation contributed to
whites, and more than half of Mil-
waukee’s black people in their 30s
have served time behind bars.
In the end, where does all this
lead? Across the state of Wiscon-
sin, it means black people live
about six years fewer than white
people, with even greater dispari-
ties at the local level.
By declaring such racism a
public health crisis, Milwaukee
County officials are committing
to put racial equity at the core of
all city procedures, to advocate
for policies that improve health in
communities of color, and to train
their employees on how racism
impacts residents.
Finally, they hope to encourage
other local, state, and national offi-
cials to recognize racism as a pub-
lic health issue. “We have a moral
imperative to put our indifference
aside in the face of injustice,” said
Milwaukee County Executive
Chris Abele, and to “ensure every
resident in every neighborhood
benefits.”
Abele couldn’t be more right.
Like the late great Martin Luther
King, Jr. said, “injustice any-
where is a threat to justice every-
where.”
Black Americans deserve an
end to racial inequality, but erad-
icating systemic racism would
strike at the heart of inequalities
that hold down Americans of all
colors. The solutions can be com-
plex, but bold ideas like Milwau-
kee’s are a great start.
Jessicah Pierre is the inequality
media specialist at the Institute for
Policy Studies.
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