HomeMy WebLinkAbout1281 - RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING RACIST PRACTICES WHICH CREATE A PUBLICRESOLUTION 1281
A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING RACIST PRACTICES WHICH CREATE A PUBLIC
HEALTH CRISIS FACING COMMUNITIES OF COLOR IN THE CITY OF BOULDER
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BOULDER, COLORADO, FINDS AND
RECITES THAT:
A. The history of racism in our country has led to current day disparities in health, shaping
access to the resources that create opportunities for health, including the delivery of
human and social services, economic development, education, housing, healthcare and
public safety, and is a persistent barrier to health equity for community members in
Boulder; and
B. Racism has various forms that are still being perpetuated today including internalized,
individual and personally mediated; in addition to systemic. These various forms of
racism that continue today have been institutionalized in power structures to ensure the
concentration of materials, power and resources into the hands of white bodied
individuals; and
C. The causes of racial health disparities are linked to systemic, structural and institutional
challenges; and
D. Public health science and public health professionals recognize that systemic racism is a
profound social determinant of health; connect racism to inequitable health outcomes for
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC); and find that the trauma of police
violence on unarmed Black Americans and the vicarious trauma of reliving violent
incidents via social media have adverse effects on mental health and well-being among
Black American adults overall; and
E. In order to achieve health equity in Boulder, obstacles for BIPOC individuals’ health
such as racism, discrimination, and disenfranchisement must be removed; and
F. Health equity is the absence of systematic health disparities based on socio-economic
factors, and the ability of all residents to reach their full health potential, regardless of
their life circumstances; and
G. In the COVID-19 pandemic crisis these health inequities are being exacerbated further
because BIPOC will be more likely to experience poor health outcomes due to
disproportionate representation as “essential workers”, pre-existing disparities in chronic
diseases, lack of access to the health care system and other factors; and
H. Racial equity and racial justice require the creation and proactive reinforcement of
policies, practices, attitudes, tools, and actions that produce equitable power, access,
opportunity, treatment, and outcomes for all people regardless of race; and
I. White residents make up 85% of Boulder’s population and, as a result, minority BIPOC
individuals face additional cultural taxation burdens through unequal service and
mentoring demands. Given these extra challenges BIPOC individuals cannot be expected
to be the primary agents of institutional change; and
J. Failure to address racism as an urgent public health is crisis will exacerbate existing
health inequities affecting people of color in Boulder and beyond.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF BOULDER:
That the Boulder City Council:
1. Recognizes racism as a systemic, structural and institutionalized practice which has
created and continues to perpetuate a public health crisis in the City of Boulder causing
disproportionate physical and physiological harm among racial and ethnic minorities.
2. Commits to centering the voices, work, and leadership of the communities most directly
affected by said racism.
3. Commits to furthering educational efforts aimed at understanding, addressing, and
dismantling racism and how it affects the delivery of human and social services,
economic development, education, housing, health care and public safety. In 2021 all city
staff, council, boards and commissions will be required to undergo Bias and
Microaggression Training.
4. Reaffirms the city’s commitment to ensure measures to advance racial equity are
incorporated into the development of new master and strategic plans and include the
Racial Equity Instrument in the city’s proposed planning toolkits.
5. Will continue investing resources aimed to reduce health disparities and improve health
equity through health promotion, general wellness programs and chronic disease
prevention.
6. Will continue to pursue partnerships with entities focused on similar efforts to understand
issues being experienced locally and to inform the city’s work.
7. Recognizes that public health is not primarily a municipal function, and the city will find
ways to collaborate with Boulder County Public Health to address these issues, as well as
support policies and initiatives that improve health outcomes and reduce health
disparities in communities of color.
8. Seeks to help build a city and workplace culture that promotes racialized repair, cross-
cultural relationships, and upholds the sacredness of reserving brave spaces for building
community.
9. Urges those most empowered to make change - white people - to engage in the personal,
individual and necessary work as preparation for effectively dismantling institutional and
systemic racism.
10. Will address ways to help the community to achieve transformational change and heal
from the damage caused by racism.
11. Will aim to co-create anti-racist practices in collaboration with BIPOC communities
while also sharing the burden of addressing racism amongst all.
ADOPTED this 20th day of October 2020.
CITY OF BOULDER, COLORADO
Sam Weaver, Mayor
Attest:
Pamela Davis, Acting City Clerk