CDC says racism is a “serious public health threat”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) claimed racism is a “serious public health threat” on Thursday.

“The pandemic illuminated inequities that have existed for generations and revealed for all of America a known, but often unaddressed, epidemic impacting public health: racism,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky

“What we know is this: racism is a serious public health threat that directly affects the well-being of millions of Americans, continued the statement. “As a result, it affects the health of our entire nation.”

The CDC will conduct new research on racism and public health and increase diversity within the agency.

According to Walensky, racism “is not just the discrimination against one group based on the color of their skin or their race or ethnicity, but the structural barriers that impact racial and ethnic groups differently to influence where a person lives, where they work, where their children play, and where they worship and gather in community.”