The Board of Alders unanimously adopted nearly 50 recommendations seeking to recognize and undo the negative health impacts caused by systemic racism against Black, Native American, Asian, and Latino residents.
Local legislators took that vote Tuesday night during the latest bimonthly meeting of the full Board of Alders. The virtual meeting was held online via Zoom and YouTube Live.
The vote marked the culmination of six months of work by the Racism as a Public Health Issue Working Group—a research body that the Board of Alders created last summer after formally declaring racism a public health crisis in the wake of the police murder of George Floyd and nationwide Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality.
On Tuesday night, the alders adopted an eight-page report bearing 49 different recommendations first published by the working group earlier this year.
Some of those recommendations include ensuring Covid-19 testing for all New Haven Public Schools student and staff, changing the name of the city’s Affirmative Action Commission to the Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and then funding that commission at $75,000 a year in the city budget to pay for a permanent staff member, and expanding the city’s health department’s “Health in All Policies” program and assessing Yale New Haven Hospital’s Community Benefit requirements “to ensure funds are strategically flowing into Black and Brown communities.”
“It literally took us hundreds of years to get us to this point to undo systemic racism in our city,” said Westville Alder and Health and Human Services Committee Chair Darryl Brackeen, Jr., who introduced the racism as a public health crisis local legislation last summer.
He said the recommendations included in the report represent a starting point for what should be a sustained city response to and community conversation about the lasting public health impact of racism.
While 20 municipalities across Connecticut have declared racism a public health crisis, as have 99 cities, 72 counties, and four state nationwide according to CT Mirror, Brackeen said that Tuesday night’s local vote to adopt the working group’s report makes New Haven “the first major small city to legislate such a detailed platform” on this issue. “This is history.”
He also said that all of the recommendations that include a “fiscal note”—that is, that would cost money to implement—don’t necessarily have to be funded out of the city budget. “There are opportunities to fund these items through various outside funding mechanisms without impacting residents of our city.”
Click here to read the report in full. Other recommendations put forth in the report include:
• The Affirmative Action Commission (which the report recommends should be changed to the Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) should report annually on the state of racism as it relates to health and health equity in New Haven.
• The city should implement justice, equity, diversity and inclusion training for city staff.
• The city should ensure that Covid-19 vaccination outreach, education, and distribution are prioritized in communities of color.
• The alders should support a plan to pilot the Community Crisis Team charged with responding to mental health crises, substance use issues, and/or homelessness related issues.
• The city should collaborate with partners to address stigma in Black and Brown communities related to mental health services.
• The city should advocate for federal and state efforts to expand cash assistance under Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF.)
Well, at least Ald Brackeen didn’t claim to be taking a hammer to racism this time. As for the rest of this history making declaration, there he goes again with unsubstantiated claims of grandeur.
Be interesting to see where this stands in a year from now and whose relative got the position as the permanent staff member. Maybe they should be paying more attention to the $66 million dollar hole the city is about to drive into instead of finding more ways to spend money.
Do you want to actually help out with racism?
Make sure that the school system adequately educates kids instead of just passing them through, lower taxes so people can afford to buy or rent where they live.
New Haven is on the edge of bankruptcy – do things that matter. Do what you were elected or paid to do. Sopy having a party where you just feel good, and instead DO good, BE good.
We are all waiting and watching.
66 million in the hole and all you Unite here Alder’s can come up with is something that sounds and feel good while at the same time spending money we don’t have. Time to get rid of that unite here bunch, by running against them. Unbelievable and it was unanimous, you mean no one had a problem with more spending, stop blaming Elicker it’s your Alder’s that’s hurting this City.
Public health emergencies cost $$$. Think about public health emergencies New Haven has seen in the past few years: Covid-19, gun violence, addiction, etc. All of these health emergencies cost the city $$$ and they disproportionately impact people of color as well as vulnerable people. By “connecting the dots” between public health emergencies and systemic racism, the BOA is actually addressing some of the underlying issues that contribute to the $66 million deficit. If you commenters are *genuinely* speaking out of concern for the deficit (I have my doubts) point your fingers at Yale and demand they pay local property taxes on dormitories and dining halls. Grace Hopper college, alone, would generate about $2 million/year. The BOA funding this commission at $75,000/year is a drop in the bucket compared to what Yale should be paying in local property taxes.
This sounds like a very positive and productive effort! Thank you Alder Brakeen for your leadership in this effort. I would like to hear more about job opportunities for young people but mental health support is definitely needed as well!