Epidemiologist and Whatcom County Public Health Advisory Board member questions how much progress has been made since Health Board commitment.
Ed.: The essays, analyses and opinions presented as Community Voices express the perspectives of their authors on topics of interest and importance to the community and are not intended to reflect perspectives on behalf of Salish Current.
Juneteenth is a celebration of emancipation, both for Black Americans and for the United States as a whole. This holiday was born on June 19, 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had officially ended slavery. The people of Galveston, Texas, didn’t wait for perfect conditions or official recognition to begin the work of freedom. They celebrated, and then they got to work.
As this day approaches, I find myself thinking about where we are, where we’ve been and where we still need to go.
I am reminded of a proclamation our Health Board adopted in 2021, one I helped shape, declaring racism a public health crisis. In that declaration, the Health Board affirmed that “the disparities caused by racism that we have outlined in this resolution represent a public health crisis.” It was an important and courageous statement. But a proclamation, like the Emancipation Proclamation itself, is only a beginning.
The Health Board also committed itself to making “Whatcom County a welcoming, inclusive and safe community for everyone,” condemning racism, brutality, hate speech, bigotry, violence and prejudice in any form. Four years later, I must ask: How far have we come?
The data still supports the need for attention to this work. Nationally, Black women die from pregnancy-related causes at a rate more than three times that of White women — 44.8 deaths per 100,000 live births compared to 14.2, according to the most recent CDC data from 2024. Here in Washington state, Black women face higher rates of severe maternal morbidity than their white counterparts, a disparity documented in peer-reviewed research specific to our state. These numbers have not meaningfully improved since our county made its declaration.
Just as the people of Galveston did not wait for official word before beginning to live into their freedom, we cannot wait for the perfect moment to do this work. The work must be ongoing and driven by commitment, not just proclamation.
As we celebrate Juneteenth this Friday, I call upon Whatcom County and our Racial Equity Commission to renew and deepen our dedication to this work. Specifically, I urge a renewed focus on women’s and maternal health as a public health priority, and a commitment to examining how we fund community health work. Not only at geography and socioeconomic status, but explicitly at race and ethnicity. That is the only way to ensure that our resources reach the communities who need them most.
Emancipation on paper means nothing without the freedom to live healthy, safe, and full lives in our community. Let us celebrate this Juneteenth with joy and then roll up our sleeves. Not celebrate and forget until next year, but celebrate and recommit. The work we do today will shape the lives of those not yet born.
—By Leah Wainman
Leah Wainman is an epidemiologist with an MPH and a BS in Public Health. Living in Bellingham, she serves on the Whatcom County Public Health Advisory Board and the board of the Whatcom County Dispute Resolution Center. A mom of two, Leah advocates for environmental justice and STEM education for underrepresented youth.