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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
DECLARING SEPTEMBER 21 - 27, 2024 UNITED AGAINST HATE WEEK
WHEREAS, Cook County United Against Hate launched in 2022 to grow a diverse coalition of municipal, nonprofit, faith, and academic organizations that publicly denounce bigotry; and
WHEREAS, Cook County United Against Hate’s 70+ partners mark welcoming spaces with a unique beacon that inspires connections and conversations because hate has no home there; and
WHEREAS, Cook County United Against Hate creates opportunities to learn about root causes of intolerance and its real impacts to ourselves, our neighbors, and our communities; and
WHEREAS, Cook County United Against Hate challenges everyone to question injustice when observed and to champion community learning; and
WHEREAS, United Against Hate Week is a nationwide call for local action to stop the implicit biases that can become a dangerous threat to everyone in every community; and
WHEREAS, we all play a vital role at the forefront of addressing injustice, racism, and bullying and for creating communities that celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion; and
WHEREAS, United Against Hate Week emerged from a Bay Area Cities poster campaign in response to white supremacist rallies in Berkeley and San Francisco in 2017; and
WHEREAS, United Against Hate Week promotes important Cook County resources to safely report acts of bias and bigotry, and to support people who are victims or witnesses of hateful acts; and
WHEREAS, Cook County is a sanctuary County that welcomes all people regardless of their race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, class, or other backgrounds; and
WHEREAS, hate crimes continue to rise and have more than doubled since 2015; and
WHEREAS, nationally, according to the US Department of Justice, of the 11,634 hate crime incidents reported in 2022, 11,288 single-bias incidents involved 13,278 victims, and 346 incidents targeted 433 victims because of more than one bias; and
WHEREAS, of the 10,299 known hate crime offenders, 51.0% were White, 21.0% were Black or African American, and 17.4% race unknown; and
WHEREAS, in Illinois in 2022, 56% of law enforcement agencies (56%) tracked hate crime data, and there were 382 hate incidents reported with more than half of incidents against a person because of their race; and
WHEREAS, according to the National Center for Education Statistics <https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=719>, during the 2021-22 school year, nearly 20 percent of students ages 12-18 reported being bullied during school; and
WHEREAS, in the 1940’s Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “this world of ours... must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect;” and
WHEREAS, in the 1960’s Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction;” and
WHEREAS, in the 1980’s, James Baldwin asked, “How much time do you want for your ‘progress’?”
WHEREAS, in the 2010’s President Barack Obama said, “We should soundly reject language ...that feeds a climate of fear and hatred or normalizes racist sentiments; ...who demonize those who don't look like us, or suggest that other people, including immigrants, threaten our way of life, or refer to other people as sub-human, or imply that America belongs to just one certain type of people. It has no place in our politics and our public life. And it's time for the overwhelming majority of Americans of goodwill, of every race and faith and political party, to say as much - clearly and unequivocally."
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby declare September 21 - 27, 2024 as United Against Hate Week and recommits to welcoming all people regardless of their race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, class, or other background; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, during United Against Hate Week, Cook County encourages seven days of local civil action by residents, governments, and organizations in every community to denounce racism, sexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, agism, classism,ableism, audism, and discrimination and implicit bias of any kind; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Cook County pledges to unite against prejudice, to advocate for justice, and to promote equity at every level.
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