SPARK

Recent events have brought the intersecting issues of racism, police brutality, and health inequities into sharp focus. The relentless litany of violence against Black lives has ignited global protests and demands for justice. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionally impacting Black communities and people of color due to longstanding health and economic disparities. These are public health crises that demand action—speaking up, engaging with communities, changing policies— as we work toward an equitable society.

People place flowers at a memorial to Breonna Taylor during a protest against police brutality and in defense of people of color at the steps to Old Capitol in Iowa City, Iowa, on June 5, 2020. Taylor was shot and killed by Louisville Metro Police Department officers March 13, 2020.

PHOTO: JIM SLOSIAREK/REPUBLISHED WITH PERMISSION © 2020 THE GAZETTE, CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA