July 24, 2020  

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley Thanks Senator Tammy Baldwin for
Support of Senate Resolution Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis 

Baldwin joined Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Kamala Harris (D-CA) to introduce a Senate Resolution to declare racism a public health crisis

MILWAUKEE – Yesterday, Senator Tammy Baldwin aided Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Kamala Harris (D-CA) in introducing a Senate Resolution declaring racism a public health crisis, citing the coronavirus pandemic as highlighting the extreme racial disparities that affect communities of color as a result of systemic racism.  

“I am deeply grateful for Senator Baldwin and her Senate colleagues’ resolution. Since Milwaukee County became the nation’s first jurisdiction to declare racism a public health crisis, we’ve seen state and local leaders follow suit and commit to government-wide goals to eliminate racist policies and practices in 18 different states,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “As COVID-19 disrupts the lives of Black Americans at disproportionate levels, now is the time for our leaders in Washington to recognize the effects of systemic racism has on the health of communities of color and work to identify solutions to address health disparities and racial inequities in every aspect of daily American life. This is what we’ve committed to doing in Milwaukee County and I applaud the Senator for advocating that the same be done in the halls of Congress.”  

From the beginning, Milwaukee County faced an outsized impact from COVID-19, the county accounts for 16 percent of Wisconsin’s population, but to date it makes up roughly half of the state’s deaths and infections. Furthermore, Black residents in Wisconsin have been hit the hardest. A Black person is more than four times as likely to die of COVID-19 than their white counterparts, and in Milwaukee nearly 90 percent of infections are people of color. Additionally, the economic challenges for families and individuals in the county as a result of COVID-19 are staggering. In June alone, nearly 1,500 evictions were filed, and projections show that eviction figures could swell to four times the annual rate with more than 60,000 individuals and families displaced.  
 
In addition to supporting the Senate resolution, Senator Baldwin joined Senate colleagues in urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell support the $375 billion in flexible funding for local governments included in the HEROES Act passed by the House of Representatives.  

“It’s clear that Senator Baldwin understands our urgent need for more direct and flexible funding to effectively combat the spread of COVID-19 and provide relief for Milwaukee County residents. I thank her for fighting on behalf of Wisconsin’s communities facing extreme challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” concluded Crowley.  

###