NEW YORK — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday signed a series of measures meant to combat discrimination and racism, including classifying racism as a public health crisis.
Many of bills are targeted at the inequities in New York’s health care system, which were highlighted during the pandemic, including a measure to assess medical racism impacting newborns and their mothers.
The maternal mortality crisis for Black mothers is particularly acute in New York City, where they are eight times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white mothers, the highest rate in the U.S.
Others bills focus on reviewing the definition of a hate crime, formalizing how law enforcement collects and reports the demographic data of hate crime victims and perpetrators, and requiring certain state organizations to report their demographic data specifically with regards to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
One of the measures also mandates that the New York State Office of Technology Services must help state agencies improve their language translation technology. More than 700 languages and dialects are spoken in New York City alone, and a lack of language translation services has affected residents’ abilities to vote and protect themselves against COVID-19.
“For far too long, communities of color in New York have been held back by systemic racism and inequitable treatment,” Hochul said in a statement on Thursday. “I am proud to sign legislation that addresses this crisis head-on, addressing racism, expanding equity and improving access for all.”
Data released by the New York City Police Department on Dec. 5 found that hate crimes were up 100% year-over-year, including a 361% increase in anti-Asian hate crime incidents. President Joe Biden in April signed legislation directing the U.S. Justice Department to conduct a review of hate crimes, and advise state and local governments on how best to address the issue.
State Sen. Kevin Parker said he hopes the classification of racism as a public health crisis compels organizations and governmental agencies to focus on systemic solutions. “For decades, racial inequalities have caused mental, physical, and financial hardships for people of color,” he said. “These inequities have impacted how they live, the resources they have access to and more importantly their quality of health care.”
