
The City of Kansas City is looking to expand its internal racial equity work throughout its City departments. Taking the lead in this endeavor is the Kansas City Health Department. Health has a been involved in racial equity work for years, from their work with community organizations to their approach to violence as a Public Health issue. While the outward facing work has long been in development, the Health Department has turned the racial equity lens inward in recent years. In June the Health Department facilitated a Department-wide training on privilege and intersectionality. The training has since been provided at the City’s Executive Assistants Quarterly Luncheon. With help from Health Department staff and community organizers, the Mayor’s Office launched a Racial Equity initiative in August. The first event was one of a series of planned public conversations encouraging residents to come to a common understanding of structural racism, while encouraging folks to become agents of change within their individual circles. Health Department Deputy Director Sarah Martin presented data on the inequities in life expectancy based on zip code in Kansas City, as well as data on inequities in the maternal mortality rate in Missouri.