Beverly Declares Racism A Public Health Issue

BEVERLY, MA — Mayor Mike Cahill signed an executive order Wednesday declaring racism a public health issue in Beverly.

The order orders city departments, boards and agencies to "recommit to addressing the impact that racism has" on Beverly residents. The order calls for specific actions, including reviewing city policies and practices, developing an equity plan to eliminate "root causes of the inequities that cause disparities" and collecting and analyzing data to better understand and address the impact of racism in Beverly.

"This declaration follows a commitment I made earlier this summer to members of our Human Rights Committee, and has taken lots of collaborative work with our local Board of Health, Public Health Department, and other key partners to develop measurable and hopefully attainable goals for a sustained community effort," Cahill said in a statement.

Beverly City Council unanimously approved a resolution in July to support efforts to "honestly and directly address minority health inequities." The resolution, co-authored by Ward 2 Councilor Estelle Rand and At-Large Councilor Julie Flowers, was the first step in the city's effort to declare racism a public health issue.

"Everybody already knows that housing, education, employment are social determinants of health," Beverly Human Rights committee member Esther Ngotho told city council. "Racism drives all of those."

Dave Copeland covers Beverly and other North Shore communities for Patch. He can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).