Racism declared a public health crisis in Virginia as General Assembly passes resolution
Resolution addresses five specific issues
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Virginia made history as the first Southern state to declare racism as a public health crisis.
The resolution failed to gain traction in 2020′s special session; however, both the House and Senate passed the measure in 2021.
Del. Lashrecse Aird, a Democrat representing the city of Petersburg, Dinwiddie County and part of Chesterfield County, sponsored the resolution.
The vote is significant for happening in a state historically linked to the Confederacy and Jim Crow laws.
“For a state that has built its systems deliberately with race in mind and against one particular group of people, we not only have to rebuild and relay the foundation, we have to reimagine how those services can benefit all people,” said Aird.