title
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
ESTABLISHING A PARTNERSHIP AMOUNG THE DuSABLE MUSEUM, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO, AND COOK COUNTY, TO SECURE AND INSTALL A HISTORICAL MARKER FROM THE EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE MEMORIALIZING THE LOCATION OF THE LYNCHING OF WILLIAM BELL
WHEREAS, the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) has identified that William Bell, an American of African descent, was murdered by a lynch mob in Cook County in the Maxwell Street area of Chicago, on or about October 8, 1924; and
WHEREAS, the EJI has created the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which memorializes lynchings in over 800 counties where they are known to have occurred across the United States; and
WHEREAS, Cook County, the DuSable Museum, and the University of Illinois at Chicago have jointly submitted an application to EJI to receive a marker and install it at an undetermined location; and
WHEREAS, engaging in a public acknowledgment of such types of violence is important for the victims, bystanders and survivors who may suffer from trauma related to systematic violence and dehumanization; and
WHEREAS, the partners commit to convene and lead a representative group of the County, descendants of Mr. Bell, and other interested parties and organizations to achieve this goal; and
WHEREAS, the partners do hereby commit to work in partnership with EJI of Montgomery, Alabama, to secure and install a historical marker, through their Community Remembrance Project; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the President and Cook County Board of Commissioners that Cook County recognizes the importance of this partnership and undertaking of this project that will shed light on our history.
end