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."
Volkswagen gets its first chance to show off its new electric vehicle, the ID. Space Vizzion, even as the California government boycotts the show over some automakers siding with the White House in a fight over emissions standards.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, November 21, 2019.
The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2019 passed through the House Judiciary Committee 24-10 on Wednesday.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and several Democratic lawmakers held an event as the impeachment inquiry raged on drawing attention back to background check legislation currently stalled in the Senate.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, November 20, 2019.
As 2020 presidential candidates prepare to take the stage at the fifth Democratic debate on Wednesday, the lower tier candidates continue their fight for a spot on the national stage.
The third day of impeachment hearings finished up with testimony from Kurt Volker, the former special envoy to Ukraine who attempted to clarify inconsistent testimony, and Timothy Morrison, a former National Security Council official.
The Growing Renewable Energy and Efficiency Now (or GREEN) Act would add five years to the so-called investment tax credit (ITC) that provides an upfront subsidy to solar and offshore wind projects.
Andrew Yang wants the U.S. to create useful rules for cryptocurrency businesses and projects now, rather than playing catch-up after another jurisdiction has already done it. He recently layed out his vision for a national framework on cryptocurrencies.
The social media company is worried its Chinese roots could get in the way of growth opportunities and is now considering ideas like moving operations to Singapore and rebranding the app in the U.S., according to a report.
