DeKalb County Declares Racism A Public Health Crisis

DEKALB, GA — DeKalb County has declared racism a public health crisis.

The county Board of Commissioners passed the resolution at last week's meeting, along with declaring Juneteenth a paid DeKalb county holiday.

"Racism causes persistent discrimination and disparate outcomes in many areas of life, including housing, education, employment and criminal justice; and an emerging body of research demonstrates that racism itself is a social determinant of health," the resolution states. "More than 100 studies have linked racism to worse health outcomes."

It also cites that Black residents have both been hospitalized and died at a higher rate due to the coronavirus. There's a list of 10 goals and policies the county plans to pursue. Here's the full resolution.