evidence: The Kenosha health division led countywide declaration efforts, drawing on an antiracism resolution adopted in 2018 by the Wisconsin Public Health Association and drafting a localized declaration that lays out the county’s stark racial inequities in health outcomes and opportunity. The final resolution, which the Kenosha County Board voted 18-1 to adopt in early August, declared racism a public health crisis and called for policy and procedural action. [...] Across the country, more jurisdictions are adopting resolutions declaring racism a public health crisis, citing growing research linking racism to poor physical and mental health outcomes, as well as data showing Black Americans are many times more likely than whites to be killed by police. [...] Many public health agencies have spent years working to advance health equity, so they are well-positioned to act on a declaration when adopted. In King County, Washington, local officials launched an Equity and Social Justice initiative in 2008, formalizing the work via ordinance in 2010. When the county formally declared racism a public health crisis in June — a joint effort led by county executives and the local health department — officials swiftly moved to operationalize its intent, said Matias Valenzuela, PhD, MA, equity director at Public Health—Seattle & King County.