The historic racism of redlining has led to a public health crisis for Black communities in Columbus, Ohio

For much of the 20th century, Black communities and other communities of color were systematically denied mortgage loans – in a practice known as redlining which was backed by the Federal government – leading to decades of disinvestment. Lila Asher examines historical redlining maps in Columbus, Ohio, and finds that they align with present-day areas with greater levels of community vulnerability to disasters like COVID-19, including factors like poverty, disability, and a lack of health insurance. These factors, she writes, have led Columbus City Council to declare that racism is a public health crisis.