HCR111

WHEREAS, public health is defined by the World Health Organization as "the art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through the organized efforts of society"; and

WHEREAS, racism is a social system with many dimensions that act on systemic, institutional, and interpersonal levels; and

WHEREAS, structural racism has resulted in race functioning as a social determinant of health, with persistent racial disparities in areas such as health care, criminal justice, housing, education, employment, worker protections, climate, food access, and technology; and

WHEREAS, systemic racism resulting from the inherent biases and prejudices within social and political organizations, groups, and institutions continues to create barriers to success for people of color; and

WHEREAS, racism intersects with other forms of prejudice and oppression that increase adverse outcomes, including discrimination based on immigration status, gender and sexual identity, and mental and physical abilities; and

WHEREAS, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has revealed, reaffirmed, and cast in sharp relief the exigent nature of these pre-existing inequities caused by systemic racism; and

WHEREAS, the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) reported in May of 2020 that the highest rates of positive COVID-19 cases in several states, including Hawaii, were among native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) groups; and

WHEREAS, according to Keawe‘aimoku Kaholokula, professor and Chairperson of JABSOM's Department of Native Hawaiian Health, the higher risk of infection among NHPI communities is linked to pre-existing and underlying inequities in the social determinants of public health across racial and ethnic groups that are ubiquitous in the United States; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, the Senate concurring, that this body asserts that racism is a public health crisis affecting our entire State and that the State is urged to commit to:

(1) Eliminating racial disparities in the criminal justice system;

(2) Prioritizing racial equity in decision making processes;

(3) Acknowledging that communities of color have borne the greatest burdens of inequitable social, environmental, technological, economic, and criminal justice policies, practices, and investments;

(4) Understanding that the legacy of inequitable policies has caused deep disparities, harm, and mistrust; and

(5) Recognizing that racial equity is realized only when race can no longer be used to predict life outcomes; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State is urged to commit to engage as partners with communities and residents most impacted by systemic racism and to identify and implement solutions; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State is urged to prioritize diversity in board membership, centering voices of people of color when addressing issues of racism, and holding one another accountable to address implicit biases of all kinds; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State is urged to promote equity through all policies approved by the Legislature and enhance educational efforts throughout the state system aimed at understanding, addressing, and dismantling racism and how it affects the delivery of human and social services, economic development, and public safety; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of the Department of Health, and Chairperson of the John A. Burns School of Medicine Department of Native Hawaiian Health.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Systemic Racism; NHPI Community Engagement; Public Health

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	111
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021
STATE OF HAWAII