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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING AND RECOGNIZING CHICAGO BOOKS TO WOMEN IN PRISON
WHEREAS, Chicago Books to Women in Prison is a Chicago-based non-profit that collects and distributes donated paperback books free of charge to women, trans- and nonbinary people behind bars nationwide, including women detained at the Cook County Jail; and
WHEREAS, Chicago Books to Women in Prison was founded in 2002 by Nicole Bussard, Jack Slowriver, Arline Welty and Jodi Ziesemer; and
WHEREAS, Chicago Books to Women in Prison has been integral in providing an opportunity for women, trans- and nonbinary people behind bars to continue their education, explore their interests, get healthier, understand their rights, and plan for and achieve successful reentry into their communities; and
WHEREAS, books are often a lifeline: an escape into fictional worlds, creative activity and entertainment; a guide to learning a new hobby or a new language or studying for the GED; and a chance to exercise the mind by solving puzzles such as crosswords, word-searches and sudoku or writing poems or stories; and
WHEREAS, in 2018, Chicago Books to Women in Prison provided nearly 13,500 books and composition books to women, trans- and nonbinary people in prisons and jails, including the Cook County Jail; and
WHEREAS, Chicago Books to Women in Prison collaborated with the Sex Workers Outreach Project Behind Bars in presenting at the 2018 International Human Trafficking and Social Justice Conference; and
WHEREAS, Chicago Books to Women in Prison served on the statewide Women's Justice Task Force, charged with providing guidance on implementation of the groundbreaking Women's Correctional Services Act; and
WHEREAS, one of the most important accomplishments of Chicago Books to Women in Prison is the trust they've earned year after year by the women, trans- and nonbinary people they serve; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners, on beha...
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