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."
Space Mysteries: the search for Zuma. How DJ Khaled will change Weight Watchers, we're cruising with Volvo Cars at CES. With YourTango, Scientific American, and more.
President Trump addressed questions from reporters Wednesday following a news conference with Norway's Prime Minister. PolitiFact Staff Writer Jon Greenberg fact-checks the comments from politicians surrounding the immigration debate.
We talk about the giant pay gap between Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams for work on their recent movie, YouTube reacts to Logan Paul, and congressional women takes a page out of Hollywood's playbook for the State of the Union.
Michael Harriot, Columnist at The Root, joins us to discuss the ousting of Steve Bannon at Breitbart News and what an Oprah Winfrey presidency means for Black America.
This Changes Things: Advice for the executives and leaders of tomorrow, sponsored by American Express OPEN. On Between Bells: the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show, net neutrality's last stand, and more. With Petco, Curiosity, Daily Kos, Popular Science, and more.
Congressman Adriano Espaillat represents the 13th district of New York. He recently secured a $500 million grant to benefit his constituents by providing public services and stimulating economic growth. Nearly one million dollars will go towards funding the "Upward Bound" program, which gives training to young people to help them achieve big goals, like attending some of the best universities in the country.
President Trump is breaking his silence over Oprah Winfrey's potential White House run. Daily Kos' Kelly Macias joins Cheddar to break down the president's comments and consider Oprah's next moves.
CEO and Founder of Chat Sports James Yoder talks Trump and the thrilling NCAA Football national championship. Yoder says some fans were delayed getting into the stadium by as much as 45 minutes thanks to the President's presence. Traffic also came to a standstill in downtown Atlanta.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat says that the President is holding the livelihood of DACA recipients "hostage" to appeal to his base. "It's sad. It's something that's unprecedented."
Jack Hunter, editor of Rare Politics, discusses what an Oprah Winfrey presidency would mean for the future of U.S. politics.
