Sign-on: Racism is a Public Health Crisis in Wisconsin

Years of work led by grassroots groups, community-based organizations, government agencies, academic leaders, and many others have laid a strong foundation to address racial inequities in Wisconsin. In October 2017, the Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health (MATCH) Group, of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, convened statewide partners at the inaugural Healthiest State Agenda Setting Meeting. The convening supported the collective identification of six statewide health equity priorities, one of which was to declare racism a public health emergency. In May 2018, the Wisconsin Public Health Association (WPHA) passed a resolution declaring that racism is a public health crisis in Wisconsin and committed to taking action. Building on this work, several partner organizations have worked together to transfer the WPHA resolution content to this Racism is a Public Health Crisis Sign-On. The goal is for organizations and individuals to sign-on to the declaration and commit to actions that are tailored to their specific contexts.

Sign-on

Sign on to Declare Racism as a Public Health Crisis in Wisconsin

We agree that Racism is a Public Health Crisis and commit to take urgent action because:

Race is a social construction with no biological basis.
Racism is a social system with multiple dimensions: individual racism is internalized or interpersonal and systemic racism is institutional or structural, and is a system of structuring opportunity and assigning value based on the social interpretation of how one looks, that unfairly disadvantages some individuals and communities, unfairly advantages other individuals and communities, and saps the strength of the whole society through the waste of human resources.
Racism causes persistent racial discrimination in housing, education, employment and criminal justice, and an emerging body of research demonstrates that racism is a social determinant of health.
More than 100 studies have linked racism to worse health outcomes.
In Wisconsin, the highest excess death rates exist for African Americans and Native Americans at every stage in the life course and our infant mortality rate for infants of non-Hispanic black women is the highest in the nation.
The American Public Health Association (APHA) launched a National Campaign Against Racism.
Healthiest Wisconsin 2020 states that, “Wisconsin must address persistent disparities in health outcomes and the social, economic, educational and environmental inequities that contribute to them.”
Public health’s responsibilities to address racism include reshaping our discourse and agenda so that we all actively engage in racial justice work.
While there is no epidemiological definition of “crisis,” the health impact of racism clearly rises to the definition proposed by Galea: “The problem must affect large numbers of people, it must threaten health over the long-term, and it must require the adoption of large scale solutions.”

Declaration Language and Action Commitments

See the WPHA Resolution for full declaration and citations.

(See also the Racism and Health Suggested Resources from the Wisconsin Public Health Association.)

Organizational Signers and Actions List

As of October 12, 2020 the following organizations have signed on to the Racism is a Public Health Crisis in Wisconsin Declaration:

Access Community Health Centers
Access Midwifery, LLC
ACLU of Wisconsin
AES Consulting Firm
Aging and Disability Professionals Association of Wisconsin (ADPAW)
Aging and Disability Resource Center of Brown County
Appleton Health Department
The Arc Wisconsin
Bellin Health Systems, Inc.
Birthing Project USA – Southeast Wisconsin
Boys and Girls Club of Greater Green Bay
Boys and Girls Clubs of Sheboygan County
Brown County Oral Health Partnership
Brown County United Way
Campus Compact for Wisconsin
Casa ALBA Melanie Hispanic Community Resource Center of Green Bay
Center for Applied Theatre
Center for Community Healing
Center for Patient Partnerships
Center for Resilient Cities
Center of Urban Population Health
Central Rivers Farmshed, Inc.
City of Appleton
City of Green Bay
City of Madison
Collaborative Center for Health Equity, University of Wisconsin-Madison
The Community-Academic Aging Research Network
Community Relations Social Development Commission
Dane County Health Council
Dean Health Plan
Democratic Party of Wisconsin
EQT By Design, LLC
Florence County Health Department
Gateway Technical College
Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources, Inc.
Green Bay Area Public School District
Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin
healthTIDE
iLoveKickboxing
Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Kenosha County Democratic Party
Kenosha County Division of Health
Kenosha County Division of Workforce Development
Kids Forward
La Clinica de los Campesinos, Inc., Family Health La Clinica
Latter-Day Saint Student Association (LDSSA)
Lumos Doula Services, LLC
Madison Metropolitan School District
Maroon Calabash
Meadowood Health Partnership
Medical College of Wisconsin
Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Rural Medicine Interest Group
Middleton Outreach Ministry
Milwaukee County
Milwaukee Men’s Health Referral Network
Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health (MATCH), UW Population Health Institute
Morgridge Center for Public Service
Motivf Corporation
NAACP Wisconsin Conference of Branches
N.E.W. Community Clinic
Ninjas for Health
Nurturing Diversity Partners (Jackson-Kaplan Consulting LLC)
One Dream Team GB
OutReach LGBTQ Community Center
Parents Advocating for Greendale Equity
Physicians for Social Responsibility Wisconsin
The Privilege Institute
Public Health Madison and Dane County
Quartz
Racine Educators United
Richland FIT
The Road Home Dane County
Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program
Stable Life, Inc.
St. Joe’s Accountability Coalition
St. John the Evangelist Homeless Shelter
SSM Health – St. Mary’s Hospital
Timpano Group
UBUNTU Research & Evaluation
Ujima United
United Way of Dane County
Unity Point Health – Meriter
University Health Services, UW-Madison
University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center
University of Wisconsin Division of Extension Human Development and Relationships Institute
University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, College of Nursing & Health Sciences
University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, Health and Well Being Institute
University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing
University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
University of Wisconsin Prevention Research Center
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Urban League of Racine and Kenosha
UW Health
UW Health Innovation Program
UW ICTR Neighborhood Health Partnerships Program
UW-Madison Master of Public Health Program
UW-Madison Master of Public Health Student Organization
UW Preventive Medicine Residency Program
Vivent Health
Volunteer Center of Brown County
We All Rise: African American Resource Center, Inc.
WellFirst Health
Wello
Wingra School
Wisconsin Aging Advocacy Network (WAAN)
Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health
Wisconsin Area Health Education Centers (AHEC)
Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Boards (WALHDAB)
Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (WIAAP)
Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Wisconsin Counties Association
Wisconsin Environmental Health Network
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals
Wisconsin Guild of Midwives (WGOM)
Wisconsin Health Literacy, A Division of Wisconsin Literacy, Inc.
Wisconsin Health Professionals For Climate Action
Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce
Wisconsin Mujer, LLC
Wisconsin Partnership Program
Wisconsin Physicians for a National Health Program
Wisconsin Public Health Association (WPHA)
Wisconsin Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Association
Wood County WIC
Wood County Health Department
YWCA Greater Green Bay
YWCA Madison

Who: Individuals and Organizations who have signed on to the Racism is a Public Health Crisis Declaration

What: Monthly calls to support a growing community of practice to provide space for discussion and reflection on different topics, including:

- Challenges and successes on the action steps laid out in the Declaration sign-on
- Learning from organizations committed to racial equity, anti-racist practices, and health equity
- Emerging topics across Wisconsin

Where: Online, using zoom. For information on how to download or use Zoom, please refer to the following website: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/206175806-Top-Questions?flash_digest=d978e4fad21ed6143fefb6c951db74d06aaa9fdc.

When: Every month for 1 hour and 15 minutes, rotating days and times

Why: We believe that relationships drive strong equity work, and that creating a community of practice will continue to advance the work laid out in the declaration. We also believe that each of us brings our own unique experiences with us, and that when examined and shared, these experiences can often further our own equity work as individuals, and as members of organizations and systems, and together we can create a healthier and more equitable Wisconsin. Finally, we believe that radically caring for ourselves and one another and sharing deeply and personally with one another are incredible gifts that help create a strong community of practice.

Community of Practice Call Schedule

Month	Date and Time	Topic	RSVP Google Form
August	Thursday, August 20 3:00-4:15pm	Organizational Spotlight: Naomi Takahashi from UW Health
September	Monday, September 21 6:00-7:15pm	Two weeks before the tragic brutality against Jacob Blake, Kenosha County Board passed the Racism is a Public Health Crisis Declaration. We will be speaking with Jen Feirhiet from Kenosha County Health and Nina Taylor from Kenosha Division of Workforce Development about what it means to have made this declaration and what lies ahead for Kenosha county.
October	Wednesday, October 21 3:15-4:30pm	We are excited to talk with Vayong Moua, Director of Health Equity Advocacy at Blue Cross-Blue Shield Minnesota.
November		Instead of holding a separate Community of Practice in November, we are encouraging those of you who have signed on to the Declaration to join us at the virtual Pre-Conference to Toward 1 Wisconsin on November 11 from 12:00-4:30pm. Plan to feel inspired, motivated and challenged to move racial equity within your spheres of influence. We are committed to creating equitable spaces where everyone can participate fully; if you need a scholarship, please contact info@wipps.org.
December	Wednesday, December 16 5:30-6:45pm	Confirming speaker — info coming soon.