evidence: Key Takeaways - Declaring racism as a public health crisis or emergency enables communities to leverage data and multisector collaborations into a plan of action focused on addressing the root causes of health disparities. [...] There was widespread awareness about the inequities across health, housing, income, and other factors long before Milwaukee County declared racism a public health crisis. Data showing major gaps in life expectancy between racial and ethnic groups and stark differences in infant mortality measures have remained unchanged for decades. "The realization that racism is the root cause of these disparities is apparent to the community. Many people consider this declaration a historical event; conversely, the people most impacted by these disparities (the Black and Brown community) believe this declaration and corrective actions were long overdue," says Jennifer Harris, Research and Program Manager, Office on African American Affairs, Milwaukee County. [...] Milwaukee County was first in a wave of communities to declare racism as a public health crisis. Their resolution was unanimously adopted by the 18-member Board of Supervisors on April 25, 2019. The resolution includes commitment to changing government policies, increasing diversity in the county workforce and leadership, and providing ongoing capacity building to foster a culture of equity and anti-racism.