‘We have to move quickly to cement this willingness for change’: News narratives about declarations of racism as a public health crisis, 2019–2021

‘We have to move quickly to cement this willingness for change’: News narratives about declarations of racism as a public health crisis, 2019–2021

In the summer of 2020, global social movements in response to the police murders of George Floyd Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and countless others brought renewed public attention to racial injustice and health inequities. Against this backdrop, several jurisdictions formally declared racism to be a public health crisis. In this study, we explored narratives surrounding those declarations to see how they were framed in news coverage. The article includes implications for advocates and others working to advance health equity. 

Abstract

Objective

To understand how declarations of racism as a public health crisis were portrayed in the news from 2019 to 2021.

Methods

We assessed a national sample of articles (n = 127) to see how declarations of racism as a public health crisis were characterized in the news.

Results

Coverage skyrocketed in June 2020 with 800 articles in that month alone, many of which mentioned systemic or structural racism (43% of articles). Government speakers were quoted in 90% of articles while community voices only appeared in 24% of articles.

Discussion

Narratives that center the causes of structural and systemic racism can help inform the public about the health harms of racism and can also report on solutions to achieve health and racial equity that could influence policymakers and the public.

Health equity implications

Those proposing new declarations should make concerted efforts to ensure that these declarations generate news coverage, without relying on acts of violence against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Public health practitioners, advocates, and officials should center communities most impacted and help them in creating a system that addresses racial and health inequities.

Citation

Mahmood H, Mejia P, Schaff K, Labiran C, Morales X, Dorfman L (2025). “We have to move Quickly to cement this willingness for change”: News narratives about declarations of racism as a public health crisis, 2019–2021, Health Equity 9:1, 1–7, DOI: 10.1089/heq.2023.0276.

Full text

This journal article was published online January 8, 2025 in Health Equity.