The Nashville Metro City Council on Tuesday voted to adopt a resolution declaring racism a “public health crisis” within Davidson County, marking the second time Nashville’s local lawmakers have passed such a resolution.
Originally sponsored by Councilwoman Kyonzté Toombs, the text of the resolution passed in Nashville states that black and minorities in face “significantly worse health outcomes than their white counterparts,” and claims these differences “are rooted in systemic racism.”
As evidence of the systemic racism causing health problems for non-white Nashvillians, Toombs’ resolution points to “historical justices like the construction of I-40 through North Nashville, which displaced a thriving Black community, the underfunding of Black educational institutions, contributing to ongoing inequities in education and health, and the fact that the 37208 zip code, which encompasses North Nashville, holds the highest incarceration rate in the nation for individuals born between 1980 and 1986.”
They also claim the health disparities caused by these factors was then “exposed and exacerbated” by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The resolution first passed the council’s Rules Confirmation, and Public Elections committee. While Councilman Jeff Preptit (District 25) confirmed that five members were present and voted in favor of the resolution, video of the meeting reveals as many as seven members were actually in attendance. Audio issues with the beginning of the meeting make it unclear which were present for the racism vote.
Toombs, when the resolution came before the full Metro Council, acknowledged the previous adoption of a similar resolution in 2020, and said the new resolution was motivated by an event she said the anti-racism organization YWCA USA has planned in Nashville later this month.
“The council did a similar resolution to this in 2020, declaring racism as a public health crisis,” said Toombs. “WYCA is having its stand against injustice community rally next Thursday the 26th,” she added, calling the resolution an example of “the council speaking out against systemic racism and the impact it has on health in our city and in our country.”
She argued, “This is he council taking a stand, recognizing those disparities, that systemic racism is a problem, lifting up the work that our health department already does and encouraging them to do more work so that we can eradicate the systemic racism and the impact that it’s had on our society.”
The 2020 resolution referenced by Toombs similarly declared racism a public health threat, but at the same time honored and supported those who were engaged in protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The council members declared in 2020, “protests across the county, including several in Nashville, are seeking to uproot and abolish the systemic racism that is woven into the fabric of the United States. These racially-diverse protests are drawing record numbers, even in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic that is also disproportionately impacting communities of color,” then vowed their support.
“It is imperative that the Metropolitan Council goes on record as standing with those who seek justice and equality, recognizing that racism is a public health crisis caused by generations of racism and racist policies, and committing to eradicating systemic racism and the creation of racially-equitable policies,” they declared.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Maybe the problem is less a “racism” on part of the Providers, and more a problem with the patients. if you arrive in the doctor’s office expecting to be maltreated, you’ll find ways you were mistreated. Drop the ebony chip from that shoulder and you might have a better experience.
I work near 37208. Part of that area is very nice “affordable housing.” The rest of the area is falling apart from little to no maintenance of the houses. Offers to build new buildings in the area are fought against, because of the “historical significance” of the neighborhood. Again, the ebony chip on the shoulder keeps the area looking like slums.
If there is systematic racism in Nashville, it’s not coming from the “White Folks.” That is one of the main reasons I live in Cheatham County, now.
Will this resolution apply to ALL racism, or does it only work in one direction?
Seriously? Racism is a “public health crisis”?
Whoever voted in favor of that is having a mental health crisis.
Metro Nashville Council Plays the Race Card…..
nothing new here……
Yup, lucifer’s dimmercrap cities.
WELL this is what you get when your Metro Council Members are LAME DUCKS from the start bc they are locked into ” MANDATORY TERM LIMITS”.
Davidson County voters lost their POWER when they agreed to mandatory term limits on their own Representatives that they vote into office to be their voice on matters that affect them.
Rather than being able to KEEP your Representative if they do a GREAT job, now you lose that POWER. Now the people you vote to represent you don’t give a crap how they vote bc its not going to effect them. They are more interested in making the MAYOR HAPPY than you.
So the only way to get your POWER back, will be to undo the Mandatory Term Limits legislation.
Another System that’s critical in a Democracy is a FREE PRESS. Our Founders put this in our First Amendment for a reason. To give them the power to investigate & expose Government Officials without retribution. Additionally, there used to be a Federal Law allowing Journalists to be sued for reporting lies to the PUBLIC.
Obama had that regulation removed during his tenure as POTUS. Now the FREE PRESS is no longer mandated to report the TRUTH anymore. THEY LIE DAILY ( FAKE NEWS IS REAL).
They many times rotate from Public Office or a government bureacracy to the newsroom. Therefore, we now have a considerable amount of voters who are PROPAGANDIZED.
TO ADD to that in the 60s two self acclaimed Communist professors known as Cloward & Piven developed a strategy to destroy a free Society through indoctrination of our children through PUBLIC EDUCATION. Their goal was to convince kids that AMERICA IS BAD.
SO HERE WE ARE. AT THE PRECIPICE OF ANOTHER WORLD WAR WITH GENERATIONS OF LIBERALS WHO HATE AMERICA & EVERYTHING IT STANDS FOR.
JUST REMEMBER VOTING IN & OF ITSELF IS TERM LIMITS. FORCED TERM LIMITS HAS PROVEN HOW A REALLY GREAT CITY CAN DECLINE YEAR AFTER YEAR BC LIBERAL DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN IN CHARGE MAKING THE DECISIONS WE HAVE TO LIVE BY.
NEXT THING YOU KNOW, THIS COUNCIL WILL MAKE NASHVILLE A SANCTUARY CITY. I’d love to know if any of our Council Members have read the Nashville Charter setting up this government.
I hope NASHVILLIANS one day will insist on taking their city back by abolishing TERM LIMITS on the Legislative Body (the Metro Council).
Such an absolute group of fools.
It’s not a protest, it’s called a riot. Metro council seems to be inviting more trouble to our city. I’m tired of hearing about how I-40 went thru North Nashville. I-65 did the same thing thru South Nashville, only difference is we don’t complain constantly with our hands out.
You could have stopped at “Kyonzté.”
The council has nothing better to do than whine and moan and not take actions to better the lives of the people. Disgusting. Nashville is about as wonderful as Memphis these days.
i moved from Nashville 50 years ago at the time Bevery Briley was becoming metros first mayor i now he would be proud of the idiots that followed him.