The jury has spoken in the trial for the murder of George Floyd. The verdict affirms that Black Lives Matter.
George Floyd’s murder almost one year ago galvanized global attention to matters of racial justice. Sadly, his death is one in a long line of cases that cause communities of color to rightly live in fear of violence and believe that they will not receive equal justice. The trial itself has retraumatized us, most especially Black Americans.
As an organization focused on health, we have long known that race matters. We see inequities, rooted in racism, beginning in childbirth and continuing through the lifespan. In the COVID-19 pandemic, communities of color have experienced disproportionate rates of illness, hospitalization, and death.
At NYHealth, we’ve been reexamining our approach and exploring ways to do more and do better in advancing racial health equity. As first steps, we’ve taken stock of our work and we will soon award grants through our Patients as Partners: Advancing Equity request for proposals. We will be more intentional and explicit in naming and confronting the connections between race and health.
We know that statements matter but are not sufficient. We all have more work to do. Today is a day to recommit ourselves to the work of building a healthier and racially just State and nation.
