The Louisville Department of Health and Wellness is beginning a long-term project to address institutional racism.The department's Center for Health Equity has gathered 100 people from across the city to study past and present incidents of racism and how they affect residents."In any area of transportation, or education, or housing, there's an opportunity for us to address structural and institutional racism," says Community Health Specialist T. Gonzales.This isn't directly an issue of health, which the Department and the Center typically focus on, but Gonzales says discrimination and exclusion can contribute to factors that lead to poor health, and fixing root issues can lead to a healthier community.The panel, called 100 Louisvillians for Change, will meet every month through July. And the center plans for the end result to be a thoughtful conversation and a push for change."We hope that not only will they walk through this process together in developing a policy they would like to see implemented in the city, but also that they will be the leaders in advocating and advancing that policy," says Gonzales.The panel meets this Saturday.
