Racism a Public Emergency in Vermont
The state of Vermont is making moves to declare racism a public emergency.
This is an example of what states can and should be doing to take action against racism and systems of oppression.
Nearly all states have at least the stats, if not higher, that Vermont has pointing out the racial disparities on all levels.
We hope this passes and sets an example that other states take seriously.
Here are the details:
A joint resolution declaring racism a public health emergency in Vermont received preliminary approval from the Vermont House on Tuesday.
The two-page document, J.R.H.6, lists a variety of data points on racial disparities in health outcomes for Vermonters who are Black, Indigenous and people of color. It resolves that the Legislature commit to the “sustained and deep work” of eradicating racism and race-based health disparities.
Those data points include:
Black Vermonters account for 4.8% of total Covid-19 cases (as of Dec. 16, 2020), despite representing just over 1% of the population.
Vermonters of color are statistically more likely to lack a personal doctor, report poor mental health and worry more about having enough food.
Poverty rates for Black Vermonters are twice as high as for white Vermonters, and they account for a disproportionate percentage of people without homes. Both factors are associated with poor health outcomes.
Rep. Taylor Small, P/D-Winooski, who introduced the bill, said these kinds of declarations are an important first step because they put a focus on systems and structures “rather than dismissing inequalities as the fault of individuals.”
Small said the resolution “is not the solution to racism in our state.” But after the Vermont Department of Health declared racism a public health emergency last summer, it “effectively created” a health equity and community engagement team that has been working to enhance education, prevention and outbreak response, she said.
Look no further than the Covid-19 pandemic, Small said, to see how Vermont needs these kinds of measures: higher rates of illness, higher rates of hospitalization and a higher rate of death among people of color than the general population.
The vote followed a brief discussion Tuesday afternoon. Most House members supported the resolution, including Rep. Brian Cina, P-Burlington, who said the pandemic has “intensified the public health emergency of racism, further increasing the preexisting conditions of disparity and inequity in our society.”
However, there was some dissent. Rep. Carl Rosenquist, R-Georgia, said he would have supported the measure if it had been expanded to include “racial, ethnic, economic, cultural, sexual and circumstantial” disparities. He said it was “misleading and not productive” to identify racism as the sole cause of the emergency.
The measure is expected to get final approval in the House on Wednesday then heads to the Senate.
https://vtdigger.org/2021/05/11/house-declares-racism-a-public-health-emergency-in-vermont/
