Racial Justice
Racial justice–the systematic fair treatment of people of all races in policy and practice–promotes equitable opportunities and outcomes for all. It is a term frequently used in considering the disproportionate toll of COVID-19 on communities of color and the publicized incidents of police violence.
Systematically, racial injustice permeates the fabric of all of our institutions. It concentrates environmental hazards and defunds schools in neighborhoods of color, restricts the right to vote and racially gerrymanders election districts, and assigns harsher criminal sentences to people of color for the same crimes. The pervasiveness of racial inequity is seen in everything from healthcare to housing. For example, Black Americans are five times more likely to be stopped without just cause than white people, and three out of five African Americans live in communities with uncontrolled toxic waste sites.
Although starting in 2020 the media has cast a brighter spotlight on overt issues of racial injustice like police violence and the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other Black men and women, structural racism has its roots in our country’s foundation. The genocide of indigenous nations and the enslavement of Black people in the U.S. created wealth, opportunity, and economic prosperity for millions of white Americans, while simultaneously oppressing people of color. Slavery evolved into racial lynchings, codified segregation, “Jim Crow” laws, and the present day system of mass incarceration.
Racial injustice has far reaching economic, social, and health-related consequences. Chronic stressors that contribute to increased morbidity and mortality for people of color include food insecurity, substandard housing conditions, inadequate access to health care, workplace discrimination and heightened exposure to violence. Even the great equalizer and bedrock of democracy–the right to vote–is restricted for people of color. Strict voter identification laws, restrictions on Sunday voting, longer wait times, transportation issues, and polling place closures disproportionately affect voters of color.
To protect the rights and the health of Americans of color, every sector of society needs to consider the role it plays in promoting or hampering racial justice. Policymakers should prioritize passing the current Voting Rights Bills, decriminalizing drug possession, reallocating law enforcement resources to community safety, enforcing stricter equity standards for sentencing laws, and strengthening re-entry programs for recently incarcerated individuals. Within healthcare, providers and systems must acknowledge the decades of medical abuse and exploitation of people of color for research and medicine while building trust and access to care.
At a micro level, individuals should be vocal allies for BIPOC and demonstrate anti-racist attitudes and actions in spheres of influence such as social circles, workplaces, and local communities. To truly make meaningful progress towards racial justice, we can start by educating our youth and public about the role of race and racism in the United States. Only by acknowledging these legacies can we protect and promote the health and success of all Americans, no exceptions.
Resources & Tools
The Role of Business in Supporting Meaningful Work and Wealth
Resource - Policy Brief
Brought to you by WIN Network
Published on 02/25/2021
Health Disparities are a Symptom of Broader Social and Economic Inequities
Story - Written
Brought to you by KFF
Community Organizations Have to Talk About Police Violence Directly
Story - Written
Brought to you by Shelterforce
Centering Blackness: The Path to Economic Liberation for All
Story - Written
Brought to you by Medium
How Systemic Racism Exists In U.S. Housing Policies
Story - Written
Brought to you by Forbes
Published on 07/09/2020
Commons Good Podcast: David Gibbs
Story - Audio
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 09/29/2020
Racism Has Shaped Public Transit, and It’s Riddled With Inequities
Story - Written
Brought to you by Rice University
Published on 08/24/2020
What It Looks Like to Reconnect Black Communities Torn Apart by Highways
Story - Written
Brought to you by Bloomberg L.P.
This Moment Calls for Finally Making Homeownership Access Fair
Story - Written
Brought to you by Shelterforce
![Colored background pattern](/assets/images/card-backgrounds/blue.jpg)
Keep Talking: Black Minds Matter – Psychological Costs of Racial Injustice
Story - Video
Brought to you by YouTube
Deeper than Hair Song - Addressing Systemic Racism by Dr. Bernice B. Rumala
Story - Audio
Published on 07/10/2020
The Buffalo Shooting Is a Reminder That Millions Don’t Live Near a Grocery Store
Story - Written
Brought to you by NPR
This Mayor Thinks Basic Income Is the Road Out of Structural Inequality
Story - Written
Brought to you by FC
A Brief History of How Racism Shaped Interstate Highways
Story - Written
Brought to you by NPR
Published on 04/07/2021
‘Model Minority’ Myth Again Used as a Racial Wedge Between Asians and Blacks
Story - Written
Brought to you by NPR
Building Community Safety: Practical Steps Toward Liberatory Transformation
Story - Written
Brought to you by Truthout
Racial and Gendered Equity and Biden’s American Jobs Plan
Story - Written
Brought to you by Prosperity Now
4 Black Female Judges Use Their Courtrooms to Break the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Story - Written
Brought to you by Yes! Magazine
Commons Good Podcast: Justice Horn, All-America City John Parr Youth Award Winner
Story - Audio
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 05/18/2022
Achieving Racial and Ethnic Equity in U.S. Health Care: A Scorecard of State Performance
Resource - Report
Brought to you by The Commonwealth Fund
Tracing the Legacy of Redlining: A New Method for Tracking the Origins of Housing Segregation
Resource - Report
Brought to you by NCRC
Racial Justice and Health Equity: Public Perspectives on Reparations in America
Resource
Brought to you by AAMC
Leveraging Community Expertise to Advance Health Equity
Resource - Report
Brought to you by Urban Institute
Advancing Racial Equity Webinar Series and Discussion Guide
Resource - Webinar
Brought to you by APHA
Policing Is Killing Black Disabled People. Centering Intersectionality Is Critical to Reducing Harm.
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by Urban Institute
Uprooting the Structural Drivers of Health Inequity
Resource - Webinar
Brought to you by ChangeLab Solutions
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Health in the United States and U.S. Territories: A Pathfinder to Resources
Resource
Brought to you by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Racial Equity Toolkit to Assess Policies, Initiatives, Programs, and Budget Issues
Resource
Brought to you by City of Seattle
Racial Discrimination Associated With Higher Diastolic Blood Pressure in a Sample of American Indian Adults
Resource - Journal Article
Black Americans Have a Clear Vision for Reducing Racism but Little Hope It Will Happen
Resource - Report
Brought to you by The Pew Charitable Trusts
What is Environmental Racism and How Can We Fight It?
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by World Economic Forum
American Indian and Alaska Native Health in the United States: A Pathfinder to Resources
Resource
Brought to you by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Ten Lessons for Talking About Race, Racism, and Racial Justice
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by Opportunity Agenda
Messaging Research: Effective Public Health Communication Strategies for Divisive Political Climate
Resource - Report
Brought to you by BCHC
Conducting Research Through an Anti-Racism Lens
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by University of Minnesota Foundation
The Power of Narrative: Bringing People Together To Advance Equity With Jonathan Heller
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by Healthy Places by Design
Asian American Health in the United States and U.S. Territories: A Pathfinder to Resources
Resource
Brought to you by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
How Community-Based Organizations Use Data to Advance Racial Equity
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by Urban Institute
For Love of Country: A Path for the Federal Government to Advance Racial Equity
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by PolicyLink
The Business Case for Racial Equity: A Strategy for Growth
Resource - Report
Brought to you by W.K. Kellogg Foundation
A Recipe for Meaningful Community Engagement
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by Health Leads
Guide to Racial Healing: The REPAIR Framework for Community-Institution Solidarity in Racial Healing
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by Build Healthy Places Network
In Common Newsletter: New Racial Justice Journey Library
Resource
Brought to you by Community Commons
Racial Discrimination as Race-Based Trauma, Coping Strategies and Dissociative Symptoms Among Emerging Adults
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by NLM
Moving the Field Forward: A Decade of Progress Implementing Health in All Policies in the United States
Resource
Brought to you by NACCHO
Unleashing the Power of the People: Lessons on Public Engagement for Environmental and Climate Justice
Resource - Report
Brought to you by NAACP
Advancing Well-Being by Transcending the Barriers of Whiteness Community Dialogue Guide
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by PolicyLink
Police Brutality and Black Health: Setting the Agenda for Public Health Scholars
Resource
Brought to you by NLM
ReThink Health Toolbox Webinars: Introduction to Shared Stewardship
Resource - Webinar
Brought to you by The Rippel Foundation
Watch Video: Advancing Well-Being by Transcending the Barriers of Whiteness Fireside Chat
Resource - Webinar
Brought to you by Well Being Trust
Race, Racism, Civil Rights Law, and the Equitable Allocation of Scarce COVID-19 Treatments
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by Health Affairs
Resources to Challenge Policing and Incarceration as Part of a COVID-19 Response
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by HIP
Place as a Social Determinant of Health: Narratives of Trauma and Homeland Among Palestinian Women
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by OUP
Twenty Years of Research into the Health Impacts of Native-themed Mascots: A Scoping Review
Resource - Journal Article
Advancing Well-Being by Transcending the Barriers of Whiteness
Resource - Policy Brief
Brought to you by PolicyLink
Ensuring Equity in Transportation and Land Use Decisions to Promote Health and Well-Being in Metropolitan Areas
Resource - Policy Brief
Brought to you by APHA
Hispanic/Latino Health in the United States: A Pathfinder to Resources
Resource
Brought to you by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Black/African American Health in the United States: A Pathfinder to Resources
Resource
Brought to you by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Police-Recorded Crime and Disparities in Obesity and Blood Pressure Status in Chicago
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by American Heart Association
The Planner’s Playbook: A community-centered approach to improving health & equity
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by ChangeLab Solutions
On Racism: A New Standard For Publishing On Racial Health Inequities
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by Health Affairs
Published on 07/02/2020
Engagement, Governance, Access, and Protection (EGAP): A Data Governance Framework for Health Data Collected from Black Communities
Resource - Report
Brought to you by Black Health Equity Working Group
King County’s Journey in Institutionalizing Equity and Social Justice
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by American Society for Public Administration
Decolonizing Health Care: Reconciliation Roles and Responsibilities for White Settlers
Resource - Journal Article
How Land Banks and Community Land Trusts Can Partner for Racial Justice
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by Nonprofit Quarterly
The Complex Intersection of Race and Rurality: The Detrimental Effects of Race-Neutral Rural Health Policies
Resource - Journal Article
Targeted Universalism Bibliography
Resource - Data Bank/repository
Brought to you by Othering and Belonging Institute
Health Equity Data Commitment and Principles
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by Public Health Institute at Denver Health
11 Terms You Should Know to Better Understand Structural Racism
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by The Aspen Institute
Centering Racial Justice in the Public Health Ecosystem: Lessons From COVID-19
Resource - Policy Brief
Brought to you by BCHC
Education to Identify and Combat Racial Bias in Pain Treatment
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by AMA
Resource Guide: Operationalizing Anti-Racism, Social Justice, and Health Equity Principles through Performance Improvement
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by NNPHI
Systemic And Structural Racism: Definitions, Examples, Health Damages, And Approaches To Dismantling
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by Health Affairs
Activating Place-Based Partnerships for Equitable Economic Development: A Playbook for Anchor Collaboratives
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by HAN
Racialization as a Barrier to Achieving Health Equity for Native Americans
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by AMA
Understanding the Policing of Black, Disabled Bodies
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by Center for American Progress
What It's Like to Be Black and Disabled in America
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by The Atlantic
Building Momentum From The Ground Up: A Toolkit For Promoting Justice In Policing
Tool - Toolkit/toolbox
Data & Metrics
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