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Committee renews Urban League partnership to move 'racism as a public health crisis' coalition into implementation
Summary
The committee advanced Ordinance 229‑2026 to renew contracts with the Urban League of Greater Cleveland to facilitate phase two implementation of the Racism as a Public Health Crisis coalition; members emphasized education outcomes, accountability and tracking indicators including kindergarten readiness, third‑grade reading and graduation rates.
The committee approved an emergency ordinance (No. 229‑2026) authorizing the director of public health to contract with the Urban League of Greater Cleveland to support the Racism as a Public Health Crisis (RAFC) coalition’s transition from research to implementation.
Commissioner (Public Health) explained the initiative’s origins and the five pillars RAFC examined — education, criminal justice, health, workforce/finance, and housing/infrastructure — and said phase‑two work focuses on implementation and policy advocacy. Marcia Makabe, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Cleveland, described phase one as a multi‑stakeholder research and convening effort that produced data and recommendations; phase‑two will emphasize community‑led implementation, cross‑pillar strategies and policy accountability.
Council members used the floor to press for specific outcomes in the education pillar, linking school closures, literacy indicators and long‑term neighborhood stability. Members cited data points — kindergarten readiness, third‑grade reading proficiency and high‑school graduation/postsecondary attainment — as central indicators RAFC will monitor. In response, Makabe and public health staff described existing community programs (early literacy, career development and financial opportunity centers) and said RAFC intends to both elevate effective local programs and support accountability measures that hold systems responsible for progress.
Council members asked for quarterly reports and outcome measures showing the city’s internal equity work aligned with the coalition’s community‑facing efforts. Public health staff said internal city efforts (the Office of Health Equity and Social Justice and interdepartmental teams) have been created to run in parallel with RAFC recommendations, and committed to provide outcome metrics and regular updates.
The committee approved the ordinance to continue Urban League facilitation and moved it to the full council for consideration; committee members asked for a clear schedule of quarterly performance measurements and for staff to identify barriers to implementation that may come from state or federal policy changes.
