A couple of days after a massive racial equality march through Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, the Benton Harbor City Commission has approved a resolution declaring racism a mental health emergency. The move came during a Monday virtual meeting. Mayor Marcus Muhammad said the problem has been a scourge on the country for hundreds of years.
“From 1555 to 2020, how long we’ve stepped on these shores, the mental health sickness and disease of racism has destroyed the Black man and woman,” Muhammad said.
Commissioner Mary Alice Adams proposed the resolution, saying it speaks for itself. The vote was nearly unanimous. Commissioner Jerry Edwards abstained because he had technical trouble and missed the discussion.
