What does it mean to declare racism a public health crisis?

When local governments declare racism a public health crisis, they are defining and acknowledging the harm racism causes to people of color’s health and wellbeing. Using data, local leaders can describe the health impacts to people of color due to social determinants of health, such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, education level, sexual orientation, and others.

By acknowledging the historical and contemporary effects of racism leaders are explicit about the unfair advantages people receive or do not receive based on skin color. These declarations also create a sense of urgency around the health of vulnerable populations, comparable to the response to infectious disease outbreaks and chronic diseases.

Take a deep dive into a few cities engaged in racial equity work in APHA's storytelling map.

Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis: View the Timeline

APHA’s role in racism declarations

Spearheaded by efforts of Dr. Camara Jones, past APHA President, the first declaration of racism as a public health crisis was passed in 2018 by the Wisconsin Public Health Association.

APHA began tracking declarations of racism as public health crisis in the summer of 2020. Since then, over 260 cities, counties, public health agencies and academic institutions have declared racism a public health crisis and have committed resources to dismantling the systems that have reinforced health inequity, replacing them with more equitable policies, practices and allocation of resources.

See more resources below. 

Have a declaration to add to the map? Submit here.