Sign on. Demand Governor Inslee declare racism a public health crisis in Washington state.
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We will be updating the letter with new names every couple of days. Once you have filled in the form, your name will be added soon. Thank you!
Governor Jay Inslee
Office of the Governor
PO Box 40002
Olympia, WA 98504-0002
Subject: Declare Racism a Public Health Crisis in Washington state
Dear Governor Inslee:
As community, civil rights, religious, union and business leaders, and residents of the state of Washington, we urge you to immediately issue an executive order to declare racism a public health crisis in Washington state.
This declaration is necessary to uproot anti-Black racism within the Evergreen state, including its government and agencies.
Black, Indigenous, Latinx, immigrants, and communities of color have faced deeply rooted racism in every system we interact with as human beings on a day-to-day basis, a reality shamefully illuminated as our communities suffer disproportionately under COVID-19.
The American Public Health Association has urged the dismantling of systemic racism through "brutally honest conversations, policy changes, and practices,"[1] noting discrimination lies "in all aspects of life, including housing, education, the criminal justice system, and employment."
This truth has resulted in poorer health, less economic mobility, higher rates of incarceration, and higher mortality rates. This is a public health crisis. And now, a global pandemic and its disproportionate impacts for Black, Indigenous, Latinx people, and immigrant and communities of color only compounds the barriers we face in seeking to do more than simply survive; we demand to thrive.
Structural racism is not confined to the past. Black, Indigenous, and communities of color continue to bear the brunt of all institutions’ racism daily.
Since the police murder of George Floyd last May, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin have declared racism a public health crisis. In addition, 52 cities and 32 counties in 23 states have also issued such an order. In Washington, King and Pierce Counties along with the Washington State Board of Health have declared racism a public health crisis.
When King County declared racism a public health crisis in June 2020, County Executive Dow Constantine and Public Health Director Patty Hayes said at the time, “White privilege and anti-blackness cannot be fully addressed until the same systems that have ‘worked just fine’ for white people while acting as the foot of oppression for indigenous, Black and brown communities are dismantled.” This holds true equally, and as urgently, for the state as a whole. “We cannot confront our problems without first naming them,” Executive Constantine says today.
To be sure, a statewide Executive Order declaring racism a public health crisis is hollow without a plan to invest in an equitable, post-COVID-19 Washington state, including but not limited to identification and action on internal and external policies and procedures with an anti-racism focus and accountability benchmarks for integrated change. Washington state must urgently divest and redirect its budgetary, legislative, and administrative power and resources to anti-racist-centered laws, policy changes, practices and principles.
We demand the protection and liberation of all Black Lives in Washington state.
We demand that the racism-health crisis be addressed through seismic change in: policing and criminal justice; youth justice; community wellness; education; arts; and environmental and economic reparations and freedom.
It is time for you to take bold action.
This is an historic moment in the United States, and in the legacy of Washington state. To implement overdue change that will finally make a difference for all Washingtonians. To reimagine a state where no more Black Lives are lost to police violence, white supremacy, and systemic racism.
Racism in all forms must be counteracted with resources dedicated to anti-racism efforts at all levels. Washington state should divest and redirect its budgetary, legislative, and administrative power and resources to anti-racist-centered principles, policy changes, and practices.
Identify and address internal and external policies and procedures with an anti-racism lens[2]: We demand the State of Washington provide anti-racist impact evaluation statements on all proposed legislation. Black, Indigenous, and communities of color are disproportionately impacted by changes to law. Anti-racist impact statements should also be required of any state agency or elected office when proposing changes to policy.
Put people first by engaging directly with impacted communities: We urge the Governor to actively and effectively listen to and consult with directly affected communities. Invest in public health as a top priority: Washington state's public health system now faces a dual crisis intervention job, not just in fighting a deadly global pandemic, but in fighting to "ensure the conditions in which people can be healthy,"[3] which remain fundamentally under threat from systemic racism rooted in government systems, laws, and practices.
An Executive Order to declare racism a public health crisis in Washington state sets the path for urgent action engaging all state sectors.
The current moment, and the future of Washington state calls for nothing less.
Respectfully,
Livio De La Cruz (he/him), Board Member, Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County
Michelle Merriweather (she/her), President and CEO, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
Ashley McGirt (she/her), WA Therapy Fund Foundation | McGirt Counseling and Services LLC
Cara Lauer (she/her), Executive Director, Queen Anne Helpline
Vivian Phillips (she/her), Seattle, private citizen
Jessica Werner (she/her), Executive Director, Youth Development Executives of King County and Co-Chair, King County Children and Youth Advisory Board (CYAB)
Patricia Hayden (she/her), Co-Chair, Seattle Human Services Coalition
Steve Daschle (he/him), Co-Chair, Seattle Human Services Coalition
Jamila L. Coleman (she/her), Founder and Executive Director, You Grow Girl!
Andrea Caupain Sanderson (she/her), Chief Executive Officer, Byrd Barr Place
Mahnaz K Eshetu (she/her), Executive Director, REWA
Ranna Daud (she/her), Executive Director, After-School All-Stars Puget Sound
Amber M. Rodriguez, Tricities BLM Movement
Jim Wingfall (he/him), Chief Executive Officer, Sound Generations
Saleem Robinson (he/him), Executive Director, Renegades For Life Inc.
Dori Peralta Baker (she/her), Chair, Asian Pacific Islander Coalition - Yakima
Misha Werschkul (she/her), Executive Director, Washington State Budget & Policy Center
Alyssa Macy (she/her), Chief Executive Officer, Washington Conservation Voters
Seth Ehrlich (he/him), Executive Director, SOS Outreach
Marcy Bowers (she/her), Executive Director, Statewide Poverty Action Network
Maria Chevez-Wilcox (she/her), Chief Executive Officer, YWCA Seattle King and Snohomish Counties
Michael Byun (he/him), Chair, APIC King County Chapter
Samuel H. Perlin (he/him), Executive Director, America SCORES Seattle
Jon Botton (he/him), Chief Executive Officer, Childhaven
Ralph Williams (he/him), Principal, Leggette ETI
Merril Cousin (she/her), Executive Director, Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence
Katherine Barr (she/her), Director, STEM Paths Innovation Network
Connie C. So (she/her), President, OCA Asian Pacific Advocates - Greater Seattle
John Hoyt (he/him), Founder, Pyramid Communications
Katherine Cheng (she/her), Head of Global and Community Impact, Expedia Group
Pamela E. Duncan (she/her), President and CEO, Metropolitan Development Council
Natalie Walker (she/her), Executive Director, Rain City Rock Camp
Dr. Stephan Blanford (he/him), Executive Director, Children’s Alliance
Shomya Tripathy (she/her), Policy and Civic Engagement Director, Asian Counseling and Referral Service
Rich Stolz (he/him), Executive Director, OneAmerica
Marcus Courtney (he/him), Principal, Courtney Public Affairs / Labor Activist
Marisa Reichmuch (she/her), Queen Anne Helpline
Nick McFarland (he/him), Queen Anne Helpline
Stan Shikuma (he/him), President, Seattle Japanese American Citizens League
Caitlen Daniels (she/her), Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, Solid Ground
Rev. Paul Benz (he/him), Lobbyist/Organizer, Faith Action Network
Kim Armstrong (she/her), Executive Director, Space Between
Laurie Lippold (she/her), Public Policy Director, Partners for Our Children
Ben Hanisko (he/him), Board Member, Queen Anne Helpline
Riall Johnson (he/him), Principal, Prism Washington
Tom Mara (he/him), Executive Director, KEXP
Memo Rivera (he/him), Vice President, SEIU 775
Zach Silk (he/him), President, Civic Ventures
Jorge L Barón (he/him), Executive Director, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Hikma Sherka (she/her), Co-Chair, King County Children and Youth Advisory Board (CYAB)
Rachael Myers (she/her), Executive Director, Washington Low Income Housing Alliance (WLIHA)
Jaime Greene (she/her), Executive Director, Communities in Schools of Renton-Tukwila
Gordon McHenry, Jr. (he/him), President & CEO, United Way of King County
Melinda Giovengo, Ph.D. (she/her), CEO, YouthCare
Zenia Javalera (she/her), President, SEIU6
Gregg Small (he/him), Executive Director, Climate Solutions
Tony Mestres (he/him), President & CEO, Seattle Foundation
Claire Neal, DrPH (she/her), CEO, Lifelong
Dave Newell (he/him), CEO, Children’s Home Society of Washington
Esther Lucero (she/her), Chief Executive Officer of the Seattle Indian Health Board
Mike Stevens (he/him), State Director, The Nature Conservancy WA
Hundreds of residents across Washington continue to sign on. See the growing list of names.
[1] American Public Health Association, “Racism is an ongoing public health crisis that needs our attention now,” May 19, 2020 https://www.publichealthnewswire.org/articles/2020/05/29/racism-apublic-health-crisis
[2] The Network for Public Health Law, Issue Brief: State and Local Efforts to Declare Racism a Public Health Crisis, June 2020, last accessed December 3, 2020 https://www.networkforphl.org/resources/state-and-local-efforts-to-declare-racism-a-public-health-crisis/
[3] US Institute of Medicine, Future of Public Health, Summary and Recommendations, Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1988