June 1, 2020
Racism is a public health issue, impacting the well-being of communities across our nation. The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on communities of color is structurally connected to the disproportionate impact of police violence on these same communities. They are part of the same spectrum of longstanding racial injustice in the US, not isolated phenomena. For myself, Ariadne Labs and other public health leaders, it is not enough to just denounce racism. We must work to continue to dismantle implicit and explicit racism in our midst as well as discriminatory institutional practices in our communities. That means calling out inequitable policing, health, education, housing, and economic policies. And it means supporting justice, equity, and inclusion for all, always.
