Commissioners declared racism a public health crisis in Portage County yesterday

It is a statistical fact that if you are born Black in Portage County, Ohio, you are:

• More likely to die younger than white people in your community
• More likely to die before the age of 1 than white babies in your community
• Nearly twice as likely to be unemployed as white people in your community
• More likely to be poor and less likely to own a home as white people in your community

There is no biological basis for these disparities, and “an emerging body of research demonstrates that racism itself is a social determinant of health,” wrote commissioners in the resolution, which was spearheaded by Kathleen Clyde. Read it here.

Although the declaration was just that — a declaration — the commissioners did include policy recommendations, including:

• Racial training for Board of Commissioners leadership and staff
• Encouraging racial training among partners, grantees and vendors
• Amplifying issues of racism and engaging with Black communities
• Identifying clear steps to increase racial equality

There were several other points. We’ll check back in about three months and see what progress they’ve made.

The commissioners voted 2–0 in favor of the resolution, with one abstention: Sabrina Christian-Bennett. During the meeting, she said the board doesn’t have the authority to declare a health crisis.

“It’s virtually worthless,” she told me by phone. “You can pass resolutions all you want, but it has no power.” Then she said she had to go. I started to ask whether she agreed with the statements contained in the declaration, but she hung up. I texted her that question, but she didn’t reply.

Here’s the video of the meeting starting at the point where they begin discussing the resolution.