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CLOSING ARGUMENT JUNE 7, 2021 ■ 51

EDITORIAL BOARD

Connecticut Capitol building in Hartford
populations and creating a comprehensive strate- powerful Appropriations Committee. It also
gic plan to significantly reduce or even eliminate has the support of the legislative leadership.
these disparities. • Fourth, the new commission is packed with
We are hopeful that passage of this proposal will cabinet-level officials and leading nonprofit
go beyond symbolism and yield concrete results health, social service and civil and criminal
for the following reasons: justice representatives.
• First, explicitly naming structural racism as a • Fifth, the bill breaks new ground by focusing
public health crisis is a necessary first step to- on public health in broad, inclusive terms be-
ward addressing it head-on without diversion yond traditional medical health measures to
or obfuscation. include racial disparities in criminal justice,
• Second, recognizing “racism as a public health housing, public education, access to food, en-
crisis” is a growing national movement that vironmental conditions and other areas.
Connecticut will be joining in terms of shar- SB1 passed the Senate on May 18 and is await-
ing research, defining solutions and providing ing action in the House of Representatives. While
accountability. Approximately two dozen there are many other measures pending in the
municipalities in Connecticut have already General Assembly that constructively address as-
passed local resolutions declaring racism to be pects of racism in our state, we regard the passage
a public health crisis. of this measure as a critical step in launching an
• Third, the bill carries weight because it originat- effective and comprehensive assault on racism in
ed in, was approved by, and was funded by the Connecticut. ■

CONNECTICUT
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