Racism is a public health crisis, resulting in a shocking and appalling number of deaths among black Americans. Beginning with and stemming from slavery, decades of public policy decisions have firmly instituted racism in all our public systems and structures. The practices, behaviors, and attitudes generally accepted or ignored by a majority white society resulting in the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd and the high COVID-19 death rates for black Americans, are proof of this reality.
Missouri is no different in this regard, with its own history of racist policy decisions and inequities in health opportunities and outcomes for communities of color. We, at Missouri Foundation for Health, are committed to dismantling the systems that allow inequitable health outcomes to exist. Racism has no place here.
