MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Shelby County Commission made news this week in an unusual way – when it declared racism a pandemic. And in doing so, commissioners also created a bit of controversy.
The 10-to-2 vote was in favor of a resolution that linked racism to public health. It is not an ordinance that changes any laws. Instead, the commission vowed to work on enacting future policies that eradicate the effects of systemic racial bias throughout the county. What could be wrong with that?
Well, two commissioners, Amber Mills and Chairman Mark Billingsley, voted against the resolution. Mills said she was concerned it would hurt business recruitment – because what companies would want to relocate to a place where a racism pandemic exists. And Billingsley told me he believes racism is a sin and a matter of choice. But it is not a pandemic in the literal sense – such as smallpox, polio, and, of course, COVID-19.
Here’s where I believe commissioners Mills and Billingsley missed the point. This vote was merely a symbolic gesture that correctly identifies racism as a public health crisis. The coronavirus outbreak has exposed a host of racist policies and practices that make black people and other minorities much more vulnerable when a pandemic occurs. Unlike polio, there is no vaccine to ward off racism. But until we seriously start recognizing its harmful effects, we can do nothing – to wipe it out. And that’s my point of view.