Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com.
By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the midst of last week's violence and rioting in major Ohio cities like Columbus and Cleveland in response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus has introduced a resolution in the House that, if passed by the state legislature, would declare racism in Ohio a public health crisis.
State Rep Juanita Brent, a Cleveland Democrat signed the resolution for the OLBC, which is led by state Rep Stephanie Howse, also of Cleveland, and also a Democrat.
The resolution deeming Ohio racist is the first of its kind in Ohio.
Brent said there is no doubt that in Ohio, and elsewhere in the United States, "racism is a public crisis."
Republicans control both the House and Senate in Ohio and they hold every state office, including the governor's office, aside from two seats on the seven-member, largely Republican Ohio Supreme Court., which could turn majority Democratic in November if the Dems win the two open seats on that court, Justice Melody Stewart, a Democrat, the only Black justice on the court.
Race discrimination violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and can be addressed via federal actions or lawsuits, which under the federal law or statute, are called 1983 claims, and Blacks, among others, like women and people 40 and older are members of a protective class under the 14th Amendment.
A similar statute is codified under state law in Ohio, specifically the Ohio Civil Rights Act of 1959, though it has a longer statute of limitations for filing a lawsuit in comparison to the applicable federal law.
Race discrimination lawsuits can be filed under state or federal law, primarily, but under federal law the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is a go through in order to file suit later in federal court.
Passage of a resolution is similar to a bill in the state legislature, and goes through committee, and in this case to the Senate, if it passes the House, though the governor's signature is not required on a resolution.
In short, a resolution is symbolic and a vehicle for state legislators to make a statement on an issue of public concern or other matter, and it can lead to other types of legislation, though rarely.
Brent said Blacks feel the brunt of racism across the board relative to education, housing, voting, jobs, economic development, and "every fabric of our system."
Columbus City Council has already introduced such a resolution and Cleveland City Council is also considering a similar resolution, one pushed by Black east side Councilman Blaine Griffin, that would declare racism a public crisis in Cleveland, city council of which is holding a hearing on the issue today, June 2.
Columbus and Cleveland are Ohio's largest cities, respectively.
The resolution offered by the Ohio Legislative black Caucus that would declare racism a public crisis in Ohio calls for the following:
- Establishing a glossary of terms and definitions concerning racism and health equity;
- Assert that racism is a public health crisis affecting our entire community;
- Incorporating educational efforts to address and dismantle racism, and expand understanding of racism and how racism affects individual and population health;
- Promoting community engagement, actively engaging citizens on issues of racism, and providing tools to engage actively and authentically with communities of color;
- Committing to review all portions of codified ordinances with a racial equity lens;
- Committing to conduct all human resources, vendor selection and grant management activities with a racial equity lens including reviewing all internal policies and practices such as hiring, promotions, leadership appointments and funding;
- Promoting racially equitable economic and workforce development practices;
- Promoting and encouraging all policies that prioritize the health of people of color, and support local, state, regional, and federal initiatives that advance efforts to dismantle systematic racism and mitigating exposure to adverse childhood experience and trauma Training of all elected officials, staff, funders and grantees on workplace biases and how to mitigate them;
- Partnering and building alliances with local organizations that have a legacy and track record of confronting racism;
- Encouraging community partners and stakeholders in the education, employment, housing, and criminal justice and safety arenas to recognize racism as a public health crisis and to activate the above items;
- Securing adequate resources to successfully accomplish the above activities.
Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.
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