Dear friends and colleagues,
Enough is enough.
Just like COVID-19, systemic racism and institutionalized violence are urgent public health issues. The racism that spurs physical violence against Black people is the same that contributes to enormous racial health disparities. Black women in the U.S. are three times more likely than white women to experience a pregnancy-related death. Black people make up 42% of all Americans living with HIV. Black children and adults are more likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke than any other racial or ethnic group. To learn more about public health and systemic racism, here is some research from the American Public Health Association.
As we fight for health equity, we join a chorus of activists fighting for racial justice and share in our collective responsibility to create real change. It is easy to understand the outrage that is manifesting itself in protests here in New York City and in cities throughout the U.S., especially as Black Americans are disproportionately dying from COVID-19.
PHS will be closed on Monday, June 8, in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and to allow our staff space for healing. While the events of the past week are deeply troubling to all of us, I know they hit home for people of color in a way that white people cannot possibly comprehend.
Let us use this moment to galvanize our resolve to fight for racial justice and equity and to build relationships with our allies, and to listen to each other with love and attention.
With sadness in my heart, and the strength to fight —
Lisa David
President & CEO
Public Health Solutions
.