Mecklenburg County leaders declare racism a public health crisis, call for urgent change

Fueled by ongoing protests for racial justice and the coronavirus pandemic that has acutely exposed healthcare disparities in marginalized communities, Mecklenburg County leaders unanimously declared racism a public health crisis on Tuesday.

County commissioners say racism affects the entire county, with “collective prosperity” contingent on “equitable access to opportunity for every resident.” An urgent approach — and funding — is needed to “discuss how to dismantle or change problematic institutions,” according to the proclamation.

But community activists say Mecklenburg’s declaration — which does not explicitly outline a plan to launch new policies or programs tied to racial equity — could ring hollow without tangible steps to combat the root causes of racism, like affordable housing and education.

“It’s past time for our community to really denounce and look at the impact of racism on Black people,” County Commissioner Mark Jerrell said in an interview, before reading the proclamation Tuesday evening. “Our lens will be focused on equity ... People are demanding change, and we’re here to promulgate that change and to make sure that we are that catalyst.”

Separately, county commissioners have previously designated “reducing racial disparities” as a budget priority, alongside affordable housing, mental health support, parks and greenways, and early childhood education.

In a somber start to their virtual meeting, Chairman George Dunlap called for commissioners to reflect in silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, in tribute to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Tuesday’s declaration echoes similar actions from local governments across the country in recent weeks to recognize racism as a public health crisis, including in Boston, Denver, Indianapolis and Dallas.

And it underscores how racism and discrimination in Mecklenburg have long spurred barriers to economic mobility, higher rates of incarceration among African Americans, and a “cascade” of chronic illnesses, among other public health concerns, according to the declaration.

In the county’s latest demographic breakdown of coronavirus cases, for example, more than one-third of confirmed cases are among Hispanic residents and almost one-third of all deaths are among Black residents. By comparison, Hispanic or Latino residents make up 13.6% of Mecklenburg’s population, with Black residents comprising 33%, according to U.S. census estimates.

“I’m hoping that people will listen,” Commissioner Vilma Leake said in an interview Monday. “That’s our push to say to our community: This is what we want to do, and with you as a community, we can make it happen. And it must happen.”

In honor of Floyd, Leake on Tuesday read a different proclamation recognizing June 15-20 as “Racial Inequality Awareness Week” in Mecklenburg.

City Council member Malcolm Graham told the Observer that Charlotte intends to issue a similar proclamation in the coming days.

“Racism is real. We need to talk about it — we need to call it what it is,” Graham said in an interview. “It does impact the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of this community and throughout the country.”

‘Systemic racism as a pandemic’

Melinda Forthofer, chair of UNC Charlotte’s Public Health Sciences department, said Mecklenburg’s declaration creates an important mechanism to rally support and resources.

Confronting racism, Forthofer said, requires a “seamless, unified commitment” across the community, supported with long-term backing for housing, food security and other social services.

“From a public health standpoint, many of us regard systemic racism as a pandemic. Mecklenburg commissioners don’t decide it’s a problem — it already is,” Forthofer said. “As a population, we need to continue to hold our leaders accountable for not just giving lip service to these issues when the public fervor is very high.”

Commissioner Pat Cotham urged her colleagues on Tuesday to focus on policy-making to overcome racism.

“The important thing for the community is not the proclamation, but it is the policies that we will create going forward. That is my wish,” Cotham said.

Corine Mack, president of the Charlotte NAACP, rebuked Mecklenburg for issuing its proclamation before seeking feedback from grassroots organizations. That amplifies systemic racism, Mack said, by telling residents how to think and feel.

“We tell you what we want,” Mack said of elected leaders. “Though the (declaration’s) language sounds great, if in fact it’s not intentional — if there’s not a change in policy, if there’s not a change in the health department, if we’re not looking at at how we’re funding the education system and where the money goes — then we’re not addressing the real issues.”

Jerrell said commissioners want to work with the right partners to bring about substantive change in the county. Otherwise, the declaration is only a “piece of paper,” he said.

‘Deliver the goods’

Mecklenburg County commissioners once again identified “reducing racial disparities” as a budget priority in the coming fiscal year, setting aside $8.6 million for new investments.

That includes more than $3 million to eliminate what are known as food deserts, where residents lack access to healthy foods found in large supermarkets or grocery stores. Another $2 million was earmarked for equity investments at parks and recreational facilities throughout the county, as well as $2 million for county healthcare programs to alleviate disparities.

Yet it is unclear how a public health crisis could alter those funding streams in future county budget cycles.

“We really have to remain focused on changing our systems,” Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell told her colleagues. “I really want us to figure out how we can make this proclamation have real meaning, how it can have real teeth, how it can have real action steps.”

De’Les Green-Morris, an educator at West Charlotte High School, said she hopes the commissioners’ emphasis on racism can translate into more funding for Title I schools, which serve a large percentage of students in poverty.

“I want them to put their money where their mouth is,” Green-Morris said in an interview. “The statement is a great start. ... But it’s literally a bare minimum. We need money, we need resources, we need people to deliver the goods.”

The success of the county’s public health approach is heavily linked to available funding, Forthofer said, though it will take time to measure progress in curbing racism. It’s crucial that residents and elected officials stay aware of implicit biases and judgments that could stifle their ongoing efforts, she said.

“We see in the South, perhaps in particular — where racism has been very endemic for decades — that many people who have not been victims of racism do not necessarily see what is wrong with what is happening now,” Forthofer said. “We’ve got to be fairly steadfast and stay the course with funding.”

This story was originally published June 16, 2020 at 7:00 PM.