June 16, 2020 

Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen COVID-19 disproportionately impact the Black community and protests against police brutality give way to a national conversation about systemic racism and social inequities. These events signal the urgency to address racism as a public health crisis, as two dozen state and local governments have recently declared.

According to the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation, we are confronting two public health crises: COVID-19 and police violence.

• Nationally, Black people are dying from COVID-19 at a rate nearly 2x higher than their population share

• Black people are 3x more likely to be killed by police, compared to their White peers

The Orange County Women’s Health Project is committed to collective efforts to confront and dismantle systemic racism and violence. We are listening and learning, and we believe that we need to invest in long-term, structural solutions in order to achieve real equity. We will also vigilantly monitor and support laws and policies that need to be eliminated, rewritten, or developed to overcome systemic racism and achieve equity for Black people. For the health and well-being of our community, we must come together to bring about real change at the national, state and local levels. 

As we enter a phase of COVID-19 recovery and rebuilding, we will ensure that equity and inclusion are at the center of our work. We remain committed to identifying and addressing the unique health disparities affecting Black women as we work to advance women’s health in Orange County, and we hope you will continue to join us in this work.

In solidarity,

The Orange County Women’s Health Project