In Maryland, the Montgomery County Council has introduced a resolution deeming racism a public health crisis.
In an interview with Cheddar, councilmember Will Jawando says disparities the black community faces are staggering. Recent social uprisings might have lit the flame under Jawando to introduce the resolution but the issue of racial inequality goes back hundreds of years, he said.
"Racism is the direct result, for 401 years, we've been either property or legally discriminated against for most of that time," Jawando told Cheddar.
In Montgomery County, systemic racism is not limited to just over-assertive and sometimes lethal policing of the black community, he said. It's also running rampant in the healthcare system. As COVID-19 continues to ravage communities of color nationwide, 18 percent of the black population in his county makes up a quarter of the deaths related to the virus.
For Jawando, racism in the Washington DC suburb is simply a reflection of society on a smaller scale.
"If you look at maternal health and childbirth, black women die at three times the rate," he said. "When they come in with problems, often doctors — look at Serena Williams — don't believe that they're sick."
Introducing the resolution, which he expects to pass next week, is a first step for curing the public health crisis in his county, Jawando said, but he hopes the measure is eventually recognized on both the state and federal levels. He also supports other methods of combating racism including the growing call to defund police departments nationwide.
"We shouldn't have stats driven by policing," he explained. "De-escalation, that should be rewarded just as much as we reward arrests and tickets."
The World Health Organization Thursday pointed to a change in reporting, rather than a sudden acceleration of infections. But for many, it strengthened the concern that nobody really knows how widespread the illness is, and there appears to be no good way to figure it out.
The Senate has approved a bipartisan measure limiting President Donald Trump's authority to launch military operations against Iran. The resolution says Trump must seek approval from Congress before engaging in further military action.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, February 13, 2020.
With two ships at sea, one recently allowed to dock, as quarantines are put in place, the WHO is communicating to countries to change the practice as the cruise industry insists it's able to ramp up its procedures to protect people from the health emergency.
Jessica Jackson, chief advocacy officer at REFORM Alliance, says getting the First Step Act passed in 2019 with the aid of celebrity Kim Kardashian-West, was literally just the initial hurdle in reforming the criminal justice system.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus indicated the body's support has stemmed from the drastic actions China has taken, despite the obvious impact to its citizens and economy.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, February 12, 2020.
The operators of a cruise ship that was barred from docking by four governments announced Wednesday it will finally land and disembark passengers in Cambodia.
Political ad spending will reach $6.89 billion this election cycle according to eMarketer, up 63.3 percent compared to the 2016 elections.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders declared victory in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary late Tuesday, maintaining a slim lead over former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar ended the night with a comfortable third-place finish.
