The Network for Public Health Law has announced the launch of the Racial Equity Dataset, an interactive online tool that provides extensive data on enacted laws in the 2021 and 2022 legislative cycles related to furthering or hindering racial equity, across the 50 U.S. states.
“We hope that public health practitioners will find this dataset useful to note some legislative trends that may have begun during this period as they continue their work to advance health and racial equity,” said Phyllis Jeden, Senior Attorney, Mid-States at the Network for Public Health Law, and lead for the Racial Equity Dataset.
Understanding the landscape of enacted laws is critical for those working to address health disparities and promote racial equity within their communities. To this end, the Network identified and analyzed laws based on keyword searches, focusing on racial equity, racism, intergenerational racism, implicit bias, health equity, health disparities, and racial disparities.
The dataset, though not exhaustive, provides an overview of legal trends nationwide. It categorizes laws relating to racial equity under the social determinants of health, including healthcare, education, built environment, social and community context, and economic stability. Subcategories further delineate specific areas such as data collection and reporting in healthcare and environmental justice within the built environment.
The data show some states enacted legislation that promotes racial equity, for example:
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Massachusetts enacted legislation requiring curricula about genocide for all middle and high school students.
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Washington now requires health equity as a subject for students at the state school of medicine.
Other states enacted legislation hindering racial equity progress:
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North Dakota enacted legislation prohibiting instruction in a school district or public school on what it defined as “critical race theory.”
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Tennessee’s law prohibits conducting mandatory training of students or employees in higher education on so-called “divisive concepts,” which includes the concept that “[a] meritocracy is inherently racist or sexist or designed by a particular race or sex to oppress another race or sex.”
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Some states enacted laws during these legislative cycles that prohibit education or training on either what has been termed “divisive concepts” or with similar language, including Georgia and Florida. The term and language defining “divisive concepts” stems from a Presidential Executive Order issued on September 22, 2020.
The data were developed using scientific legal mapping techniques and published to the Network’s website with support from the Temple University Center for Public Health Law Research.
“We know that systemic racism produces disparities in health, so it’s important that we identify the laws and policies related to dismantling or perpetuating those systems and pathways so we can better study them and make improvements,” said Lindsay Cloud, JD, PhD(c), deputy director of the Center for Public Health Law Research at Temple University Beasley School of Law. “This dataset is an excellent addition to an ever-growing library of data focused on understanding the effects of laws and policies on health and well-being.”
The interactive dataset may be explored on the Network’s website.