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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.
RELATED: Montgomery County introducing resolution to declare racism a public health crisis
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.
RELATED: Montgomery Co councilmember talks phase 2, police reform bill
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.