HJ0128LRB101 22383 ECR 73448 r

1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The American Medical Association states that
3racism contributes to health inequities in the United States;
4and
 
5    WHEREAS, Social determinants of health, meaning the social
6and material factors that influence health outcomes, have a
7lifelong impact beginning even before birth; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The American Public Health Association (APHA) has
9expressed that racism is a driving force of the social
10determinants of health due to the resulting inequalities in a
11number of matters, including housing, education, and
12employment; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The APHA clarifies that racism is a social system
14with multiple dimensions; individual racism is internalized or
15interpersonal, while systemic racism is institutional or
16structural and is a system of structuring opportunity and
17assigning value based on the social interpretation of how one
18looks; this system unfairly disadvantages specific individuals
19and communities while unfairly giving advantages to other
20individuals and communities and saps the strength of the whole
21society through the waste of human resources; and
 

 

 

HJ0128- 2 -LRB101 22383 ECR 73448 r

1    WHEREAS, Almost all of the four hundred years of Black
2Americans' experience was under slavery and Jim Crow laws that
3subjected Black people to hardship and disadvantage in all
4areas of life; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The Heartland Alliance Social IMPACT Research
6Center's 2018 Poverty Report explains that poverty and violence
7disproportionately impact minority communities, which are
8characterized by lack of adequate public services, lack of
9educational opportunities, poorer health outcomes, asset and
10income inequality, and more; the underlying cause of all
11mentioned above is rooted in historic and current systemic
12racism, such as redlining, discrimination in schools, and other
13practices; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The American Anthropological Association asserts
15that genetic analyses show race to be a social construct not
16rooted in meaningful biological difference; and
 
17    WHEREAS, There is clear data that racism negatively impacts
18the lives of people of color in Illinois; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The American Psychological Association says that,
20because of poverty and discrimination, racial minority
21children are more likely to experience traumatic events than
22White children; childhood trauma has negative impacts on

 

 

HJ0128- 3 -LRB101 22383 ECR 73448 r

1academic, behavioral, and physical health outcomes; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Statistics compiled by the Centers for Disease
3Control show a national disparity between Black and White
4infant mortality rates with the State of Illinois having one of
5the highest disparities between Black and White infant
6mortality rates; and
 
7    WHEREAS, 2018 data collected by the Illinois Department of
8Public Health reveals that non-Hispanic Black women are six
9times as likely to die of a pregnancy-related condition when
10compared to a non-Hispanic White woman; Black women had the
11highest rate of severe maternal morbidity in Illinois from 2016
12to 2017 with a rate of 101.5 per 10,000 deliveries; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice
14reported that seventy-one percent of youth in youth
15correctional facilities were Black despite Black youth
16representing only three percent of the people in Illinois; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The September 2020 Poverty, Income & Health
18Insurance Update by the Heartland Alliance shows that the
19poverty rate for Black Illinoisans is three times the poverty
20rate of White Illinoisans, and the median income for Black
21households is only fifty-eight per cent of the statewide
22median; and
 

 

 

HJ0128- 4 -LRB101 22383 ECR 73448 r

1    WHEREAS, Illinois Department of Public Health data
2indicates that Black Illinoisans have higher mortality rates in
3heart disease, cancer, and opioid overdose and higher incidence
4of diabetes compared to White Illinoisans; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Public Health stated
6that although health indicators such as life expectancy and
7infant mortality have improved for most Americans, minorities
8still experience shorter life expectancy and higher rates of
9disability compared with non-minorities; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The APHA has identified law enforcement violence
11as a public health issue that disproportionately affects
12marginalized groups, including people of color, impacting both
13physical and mental health outcomes; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The impact of racism on public health deserves
15action from all levels of government; therefore, be it
 
16    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
17HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
18SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we declare racism to be a public
19health crisis affecting our entire State; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That we ask the Governor to establish a working

 

 

HJ0128- 5 -LRB101 22383 ECR 73448 r

1group to promote racial equity throughout this State; and be it
2further
 
3    RESOLVED, That we support the establishment of a working
4group to address these issues and to:
5        (1) Create a publicly accessible glossary of terms and
6definitions concerning racism and health equity;
7        (2) Promote community engagement and provide tools for
8government agencies to engage actively and authentically with
9communities of color;
10        (3) Continue to work to build alliances with
11organizations that have a legacy and track record of
12confronting racism;
13        (4) Encourage community partners and stakeholders in
14the education, employment, housing, and criminal justice and
15safety arenas to recognize racism as a public health crisis and
16take appropriate action;
17        (5) Continue to promote racially equitable economic
18and workforce development in Illinois;
19        (6) Continue to promote racially equitable hiring and
20promotion of all employees, including State employees;
21        (7) Provide training to all elected officials, staff,
22funders, and grantees on workplace biases and how to mitigate
23them;
24        (8) Promote and encourage all policies that prioritize
25the health of people of color;

 

 

HJ0128- 6 -LRB101 22383 ECR 73448 r

1        (9) Support local, state, regional, and federal
2initiatives that advance efforts to dismantle systematic
3racism and mitigate exposure to adverse childhood experiences
4and trauma;
5        (10) Incorporate educational efforts to address and
6dismantle racism and to expand understanding of racism and how
7racism affects individual and population health; and
8        (11) Secure adequate resources to successfully
9accomplish the aforementioned activities; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That we are committed to reviewing all portions
11of Illinois state law with a racial equity lens; and be it
12further
 
13    RESOLVED, That we are committed to conducting all human
14resource, vendor selection, and grant management activities
15with a racial equity lens, including reviewing all internal
16policies and practices such as hiring, promotion, leadership
17appointments, and funding; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
19delivered to the Governor's Office and to all members of the
20General Assembly.