Virginia 鈥� whose state capital Richmond was once the capital of the Confederacy 鈥� is about to become the first state in the South to declare racism a public health crisis.
The state Senate approved the declaration Tuesday and sent it to Gov. Ralph Northam 鈥� who’s expected to sign it.
It had previously passed the House of Delegates on an almost party-line vote, with Democrats voting overwhelmingly in favor.
The American Public Health Association says 145 cities and counties in 27 states have declared racism a public health issue 鈥� up from just seven in 2019.
Virginia lawmakers also moved Tuesday to remove a statue of segregationist Harry F. Byrd Sr., who served as Virginia鈥檚 governor and a U.S. senator, will be removed from the state capitol grounds under a bill that won bipartisan final approval.
By a vote of 36-3, the Senate advanced the measure that had already cleared the House, sending it to Northam, who supports it.
Byrd, a Democrat, ran the state鈥檚 most powerful political machine for decades until his death in 1966 and was considered the architect of the state鈥檚 racist 鈥渕assive resistance鈥� policy to public school integration.
鈥淩acism and its symbols, obvious and subtle, have no place in this new Virginia decade,鈥� Del. Jay Jones, the chief sponsor of the bill, said in a statement after the vote.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
