At its meeting on Tuesday, November 24, the Whatcom County Council, acting as the Health Board, passed a resolution affirming that racism is a public health crisis in Whatcom County, joining other cities and counties across the state and the nation with this resolution and committing to take steps toward racial equity.
As announced in a news release, Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu supported and welcomed the adoption of the resolution. “I appreciate the Public Health Advisory Board’s strong advocacy for this resolution, and I was pleased to see it adopted by County Council after extensive discussions,” Executive Sidhu said. “On the same day the Council also approved the biennium budget, which includes funding for my proposal to create a countywide Racial Equity Commission. I am very hopeful that this commission will take the next steps, going beyond declarations and identifying specific actions to address systemic racism.”
Data on racial disparities in Whatcom County is available at this pdf link.
Bellingham Public Library stands with the Urban Libraries Council Statement on Race and Social Equity. Library staff curated the following list of resources for education and discussion.