The Democratic mayor of Louisville, Ky, Greg Fischer signed an executive order on Tuesday declaring racism as a public health crisis.
“Advancing racial equity has been a major focus of our work at Metro Government for the past 10 years,” Fischer said during a press conference. “But it’s clear that we need to move faster and invest more resources. We need to do everything we can to repair distrust through action.”
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He added: “This order lays out in stark terms the societal, economic, physical and mental health impacts of racism on not just Black Louisville, but all the people of our city.”…Of course, we can’t change America by ourselves, but we can show America how a city can change itself. We can channel the energy from the pain we’ve experienced and take ourselves from tragedy to transformation,” the mayor said.
Louisville became a focal point of racial unrest this summer following the death of Breonna Taylor in March. Taylor was shot when police officers executed a no knock warrant at her home.
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Mayor Fischer said Taylor’s death made the city a “focal point for America’s reckoning on racial justice.”
This executive order outlines seven key areas for Louisville Government to address the city’s racial equity challenges: public safety, children and families, Black employment, Black wealth, housing and neighborhood investment, health and voting.
According to the American Public Health Association, dozens of cities, counties and states across the country have also made the move to declare racism a public health issue.
