UnsafeU Supports HJR 13: Declare Racism as a Moral and Public Health Crisis

Unsafe U is totally and unequivocally in support of H.J.R. 13, the proposed Utah state joint resolution to declare racism as a moral and public health crisis.

It is impossible to separate the issues of campus safety and racism. The history of college campuses in the United States is largely stained with bigotry and discrimination. Most higher educational institutions were founded with colonialist ideals in mind. Some of our most well-known universities have financially benefited from the enslavement of African peoples. Colleges and universities were established with the primary purpose of being “white-only” institutions, and these were only forced to integrate students of all races and ethnicities via Supreme Court decisions, culminations of multiple year-long fights for justice, equity, and access to education. Many monuments and buildings on campuses across the country continue to be named after those who have actively participated in violence against communities of color. The backward legacy of racism on college campuses continues to manifest itself in research, teaching methods, campus police departments, Title IX and OEO policies, distributions of power on all levels, and general campus safety culture. These manifestations themselves contribute to the decrease in mental and physical health for our students of color as well as our white students. When our students of color are harmed, all of our students are harmed. All educational institutions in the state of Utah, including the University of Utah, are not exempt from this fact.

In many of our posts, we have attempted to point out the disproportionate impact of harassment, IPV, DV, and sexual assault on students of color. We must choose to stand in solidarity with our fellow students by making it clear that without justice for victim-survivors of color, there can be no justice. Without adequate safety measures for students of color, our campus community can not be safe. Without an acknowledgment of racism as a public health crisis, our communities at-large can not truly thrive. Racism is a key tool of oppression by which campus safety issues continue to prevail. Only through a collective understanding of how racism affects the health of our communities and subsequent large-scale elimination of racism can we hope to also guarantee safety to all students and all communities.

H.J.R. 13 will be voted on today, Thursday, February 25, at around 10 AM MST. We are calling upon all students and all supporters of Unsafe U to immediately write an email using the template below to their state representative urging them to vote in favor of the health of all Utahns with a “Yea” vote on H.J.R. 13.

Email Template (To find your state representative, go to le.utah.gov and click “My Legislators”)

My name is [NAME] and I am one of your constituents in the [INSERT DISTRICT NUMBER] District. [ADDRESS] .

I am emailing you, urging you to vote yes on HJR013: Declaring Racism a Moral and Public Health Crisis. This resolution is essential to moving Utah into the right direction for working to eliminate disparities in health and beyond due to racial injustice. I believe deeply that the passage of this resolution would benefit our district and the state of Utah deeply.

The resolution touches on extremely important impacts of racial injustice, such as the current disparity in heightened death and lack of vaccine access due to COVID-19 in BIPOC communities. It also begins to address the fact that people of color experience racism in the healthcare system. This resolution is essential to moving Utah in a forward trajectory for eliminating these injustices.

In Utah, 19 hospitals and associations have signed on to the Utah Hospital Association declaring racism a crisis. Doctors alike have acknowledged the health disparities, now it’s our turn as a state to take a stance.

H.J.R. 13 will also build upon the progress of the Utah Compact on Racial Equity, and Diversity, which acknowledges the need to tackle systemic racism, and has been signed on to by many different stakeholders from different racial, ethnic, and political backgrounds.

I hope you take this message with the utmost consideration and I thank you for public service to us.

Kindly,

[NAME]