MANSFIELD — Mansfield City Council is expected to vote Tuesday night on a resolution supporting the recognition of racism as a public health crisis.
The resolution, one of 14 pieces scheduled to be handled during a busy evening that also includes three committee meetings and a public hearing to discuss amending the city’s application for CDBG/HOME funds.
Calls for such resolutions and other legislative action have developed during Black Lives Matter protests across the country since the May 25 killing of a Black man, George Floyd, by police in Minneapolis.
An Ohio Senate committee on Tuesday heard hours of testimony Tuesday supporting the declaration of racism as a public health crisis.
Petitions in support of recognizing race as a public health crisis were circulated during a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest in Mansfield’s Central Park on May 30.
Similar peaceful protests have taken place in Ontario, Shelby, Bellville, Ashland and Mount Vernon.
6th Ward Council representative Jean Taddie is sponsoring the resolution, which requests that Richland Public Health make a similar declaration and “partner with the community to create a task force or organizing committee” to address the issue.
According to the resolution, 28 percent of Mansfield residents identify as people of color, including 18 percent African-American. It also states 14 percent of Richland County residents identify as people of color, including 8 percent African-American.
“The rich diversity of this community speaks to the need of lifting our collective voices to improve the lives of people of color living in Mansfield and Richland County,” the resolution says.
The resolution also says that “racism, not race, also causes disproportionately high rates of homelessness, incarceration, poor education, health issues, including mental health, and economic hardship for African-Americans, particularly, as well as for other communities of color.”
The task force sought by the resolution would:
— “provide equity and justice-oriented organizations, by identifying specific activities, policies and procedures to embrace diversity and to incorporate anti-racism principles across the community, its agencies, leadership, staffing and contracting.”
— “develop a plan to understand, address and dismantle racism, to undo how racism affects individual and population health and provide tools to engage actively and authentically with communities of color.”
— “advocate for relevant policies that improve health in communities of color, and support local, state, regional and federal initiatives that advance efforts to dismantle systemic racism.”
— “work to build alliances and partnerships with other organizations that are confronting racism and encourage other local, state, regional and national entities to recognize racism as a public health crisis.”
— “use a racial equity lens to review public health activities and ensure data collection is comprehensive, educational initiatives are culturally competent, and policies are implemented to address the social determinants of health, rather than to reproduce them.”
The council meeting will be done online due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will be live-streamed on the city’s Facebook page.
