Group wants to know about follow up to noble declarations by county, city

The Greater Cleveland Association of Black Journalists (GCLEABJ) is hosting a town hall-style forum to address questions of accountability with respect to legislation passed by the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County declaring racism as a public health crisis.

The event will be held Saturday, April 30 from 10 am to Noon at the East Cleveland Public Library, 14101 Euclid Ave. [44112].

Yvonka Hall is founder of the Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition

Yvonka Hall, executive director of the Black Health Coalition will join GCLEABJ members Rhonda Crowder and Stephanie Phelps will moderate the discussion between a panel comprised of members with diverse perspectives: Alan Nevel, senior vice president and chief equity officer at MetroHealth; Jasmin Long, MSSA, MNO, chief executive officer, Birthing Beautiful Communities, SeMia Bray of Black Environmental Leaders, Dr. James Brown, Cleveland councilwoman Stephanie Howse, and cancer survivor Vicki Dansby are among the confirmed panelists.

“We must be innovative and find solutions to the current drivers of disparities,” says Hall. “We can’t talk about racism as a public health crisis and do nothing to address the inequalities in education, employment, housing, and health. Changing our outcomes starts with accountability and action.”

“We can’t talk about racism as a public health crisis and do nothing to address the inequalities in education, employment, housing, and health. Changing our outcomes starts with accountability and action.”  — Yvonka Hall

Kevin "Chill" Heard is president of the Greater Cleveland Association of Black Journalists

“We are always concerned about the health of our community, especially during a pandemic that is disproportionately impacting African Americans,” adds Kevin Heard, GCLEABJ president.

The forum is part of “Connecting the Dots between Race and Health,” a project of Ideastream Public Media funded by the Dr. Donald J. Goodman and Ruth Weber Goodman Philanthropic Fund of The Cleveland Foundation. The project is focusing on what it means when government declares racism a public health crisis, understanding how racism contributes to poor health outcomes, discovering what local institutions are doing to target structural barriers to equitable outcomes, and finding solutions that address the crisis.

This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

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