Easton residents defeat resolution declaring racism a public health issue
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EASTON Elaine O’Keefe isn’t discouraged.
Though town residents voted 1,259 to 761 last week to defeat a resolution to declare racism a public health problem, the Easton resident and health equity advocate said she doesn’t think the discussion of racism and its impact on health is over.
“We have a lot of work to do and a lot of education and outreach to do,” O’Keefe said.
The resolution’s defeat comes months after O’Keefe originally pitched the idea to the Easton Board of Selectman. Having worked in public health for more than 40 years, she said, she’s long been concerned about racial inequities in health. She said the murder of George Floyd by police in Minnesota last year and the COVID-19 pandemic which many experts have said has disproportionately affected people of color brought the issues to the forefront.