Racism is a health crisis that needs to be taken seriously, Hamden leaders say
HAMDEN — Racism is a public health crisis affecting the town.
Hamden leaders symbolically declared the crisis this week in line with similar declarations by municipalities across the state, including New Haven, Hartford, Windsor, West Hartford and Bloomfield.
The declaration acknowledges the impact of racism on health conditions and outcomes for people of color, as well as enabling government to tackle inequitable policies that reinforce institutional racism.
Councilman Justin Farmer, D-5, encouraged people to speak unapologetically if they are serious about the health crisis declaration.
“If we’re serious about talking about this as a public health crisis, I hope we have the courage to open up our hearts and minds about how we really feel,” he said.
With the Legislative Council unanimously approving the resolution on the crisis, the town committed to several initiatives to address racial disparities.
“Put simply, this is one way to hold ourselves and our local state governments accountable for addressing racism head on,” the preamble of the resolution said. “When we have an emergency affecting our residents’ safety and well-being we must act.”
Data has shown Black Americans and other people of color live with disproportionately higher rates of chronic stress and chronic disease, and lower infant birth rates,
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Black, Hispanic and Native American people have been diagnosed at disproportionately higher rates than white people.
Native Americans have the highest age-adjusted rate of the disease, 5.5 times that of white people. Black people follow at 4.4 times the rate and Hispanic people at 4 times, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health outcomes for people of color are influenced by the racial disparities of economic status, housing conditions, access to education, food insecurity and the criminal justice system.
“If we don’t educate ourselves on how it’s in everything and in all institutions, if we’re not coming from that mindset to liberate, we’re not having the conversation,” Farmer said.
Councilman Brad Macdowall said the declaration was overdue. He said racism is an issue the town has had for a long time, highlighted by last year’s shooting of an unarmed woman by Hamden police officer in New Haven, yet the town hasn’t taken significant action on racial issues other than passing a resolution.
“We have to be serious about this,” he said.
Councilwoman Berita Rowe-Lewis said issues of racism need to be ongoing conversations.
“It can't just be something that’s said today,” she said. Rowe-Lewis said she is advocating for talking about racism “as much as possible, but also bringing solutions.”
The declaration on racism included seven commitments from town leaders on how they would address the crisis.
These included enhancing diversity and antiracism principles among leadership, staff and contractors; enhancing education for understanding and dismantling racism, especially in social services, economic development and policing.
The town also committed to improving its data collection and analysis to address inequities to measure the efficacy of its initiatives.
In the resolution, leaders said they would support “community efforts to amplify issues of racism and engage actively and authentically with communities of color” and advocate for policies that advance efforts to dismantle systemic racism.
This includes working on “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.”
The town’s work on the crisis should include periodic reports to the mayor, Legislative Council, the community and the Human Rights and Relations Commission to assess the progress of equity initiatives and look for opportunities to further advance racial equity, according to the resolution.
mdignan@hearstmediact.com
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