HARTFORD, Conn. — *Editor's Note: The above video aired May 18.*
Officials announced Tuesday that Connecticut's House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 1, declaring racism a public health crisis in the state.
The legislation, passed the state Senate 30-5 last month.
It takes several key steps to address systemic racism in Connecticut, including the creation of a commission that will document the impact of racism on public health and develop a strategic plan to eliminate health disparities and inequities.
The bill's next stop: Governor Lamont's desk.
Lawmakers discussed the significance of the bill's passing on the 100-year anniversary of the Tulsa Massacre on Black Wall Street.
"100 years ago today, a neighborhood was destroyed, 300 people killed, 8,000 people rendered homeless, and an entire community of people obliterated. How was that possible?" Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, House Chair of the Legislature's Public Health Committee said. "Interestingly 14 years earlier, in 1907, the first act of the Oklahoma legislature upon the creation of the state of Oklahoma was an act called SB1, ironically, that imposed Jim Crow laws in the state of Oklahoma."
Steinberg added that the bill seeks to redress some of the disparities created by racism like people of color often being housed nearest industrial commercial areas, highways and other areas of pollutants.
Over a dozen cities and towns across Connecticut have declared racism as a public health crisis or an emergency at this time.
Dr. Tekisha Dwan Everette, Executive Director of Health Equity Solutions said SB1 not only acknowledges the public health crisis that racism is, but also takes steps to address injustices.
"By standardizing how we collect race and ethnicity data, defining the doula profession, and creating the Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health, Connecticut has taken key steps along the path to health equity. The journey will be long, but we are in good company and our goals are clear and achievable,” Everette added.
Rep. Anthony Nolan said while tackling the issue of racism may be difficult, work still needs to be done on multiple levels to address it.
Nolan also noted that people will not lose out on anything, but will allow communities who have been held back, stopped and forgotten, to get and be given what many others have.
State Representative Geraldo Reyes, Deputy Speaker said, “During the pandemic, I saw the inequality in the people that I represent the communities and when I say the people, I'm talking about everybody I saw... To be in this chamber and to say that racism doesn't exist or that racism isn't real you didn't walk in the Reyes family shoes you didn't walk in the shoes of people that look like me who were dirt poor in the city of Waterbury when we were made to feel that we were less than."
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