US City declared racism public health crisis

WASHINGTON: Erin Mendenhall, Mayor of Salt Lake City in the US state of Utah, has declared racism a public health crisis. "This is an important declaration for us to make as a City," Mendenhall said in a statement released on Wednesday.

"Not only are we publicly acknowledging the existence of a grave inequity that many in our community have known and experienced for so long, we are also committing ourselves to the creation of policies and ordinances that are anti-racist," Mendenhall said.

The declaration came a day after Mendenhall adopted a joint resolution with the city council on Tuesday night, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Racism is a serious public health threat because racism — both interpersonal and structural — is proven to have harmful impacts to the mental and physical health of communities of colour," said the resolution, adding racism is declared a public health crisis that directly impacts residents in the city "resulting in health disparities that are both measurable and preventable".

The resolution pointed out that racism impacts where a person lives, learns, works, worships and plays, creating inequities in access to a range of social and economic benefits, such as housing, education, wealth and employment, often referred to as social determinants of health. (IANS)

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