Governor: Racism a public health crisis

Nearly 40% of the COVID-19 deaths in Michigan were Black people. That’s despite making up just 13.6% of the state’s population.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer cited that statistic in declaring racism a public health crisis during a press conference Wednesday.

Whitmer is attempting to tackle those health disparities by issuing an executive directive that will require implicit bias training for all state employees and make health equity a top issue for the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.

“The pandemic has confirmed and highlighted the deadly nature of these pre-existing inequalities caused by systemic racism,” said Whitmer during the press conference.

You can read more at MLive.

You can see the full press conference here.