Montgomery County council declares racism a ‘public health crisis’

Montgomery Co councilmember talks phase 2, police reform bill

Will Jawando, a councilmember with Montgomery County, joined Fox 5 DC to talk about the county's phase two of reopening, the introduction of a police reform bill and more.

ROCKVILLE, Md. - The Montgomery County Council unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday calling racism a “public health crisis.”

The resolution – which was championed by Councilmember Will Jawando – was passed in the wake of protests and unrest following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis.

Jawando pointed out that racism has resulted in “inequitable outcomes in many areas of life” and that current research indicates that “racism itself is a social determinant of health.”

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The COVID-19 crisis brought the health impact of racism into sharp focus, as African-American communities were disproportionately impacted by the virus in cities across the country.

According to the national COVID Racial Data Tracker, African Americans have been nearly twice as likely to die of Covid-19 than would be expected based on their share of the population.

In Maryland and Montgomery County, African-Americans account for 25 percent of COVID-19 deaths, despite constituting just 19 percent of the county’s population.