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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
OBSERVING AND HONORING JANUARY 17, 2023, AS THE NATIONAL DAY OF RACIAL HEALING IN COOK COUNTY
WHEREAS, on the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a National Day of Racial Healing is observed; and
WHEREAS, since 2017, the National Day of Racial Healing marks a time to contemplate our shared values and role in addressing racism’s present consequences; and
WHEREAS, the National Day of Racial Healing brings racial awareness to schools, libraries, parks and recreation centers, faith communities, local businesses, foundations and nonprofits, healthcare settings, artists and content creators, policymakers and decisionmakers; and
WHEREAS, racial healing takes more than one day; and
WHEREAS, racial healing requires that we acknowledge that racism disrupts the lives of so many children and families; and
WHEREAS, racism affects all of us, whether we are aware of it or not, where we live, learn, work and play, at school and jobs, when renting and shopping, visiting a doctor or trying to access healthy food, in interactions with the police, and in our social interactions and policies; and
WHEREAS, racial healing recognizes the need to tell the truth about past wrongs created by individual and systemic racism, and address the historic and contemporary effects of this individual and systemic racism in our communities and institutions; and
WHEREAS, racial healing is part of community, organizational, and systems transformation; and
WHEREAS, racialized hate crimes have increased in recent years:
• In 2020, anti-Black hate crimes increased 49% over 2019 - the largest bias incident victim category,
• Anti-Asian hate crimes in major US cities rose by 164% percent in the first quarter of 2021 over the year before,
• Anti-Hispanic hate crimes rose 8.7% in 2019,
• Civil rights complaints from Muslims increased 9% in 2020; and
WHEREAS, any time is a good time to speak out against hate; and
WHEREAS, we must speak out against hate for anyone, for hate against one is hate against everyone; and
WHEREAS, Cook County United Against Hate was launched in 2022 to combat the rise of hate crimes and catalyze social justice; and
WHEREAS, Cook County is investing over $100 million in equity-specific programs and investment; and
WHEREAS, the responsibility belongs to all of us to build fair and just communities; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners do hereby declare January 17, 2023, the National Day of Racial Healing in Cook County; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Cook County commits to the process of racial healing, investing in communities most impacted by racist structures that limited opportunities for children and families, and to working to reverse the generational impacts of racist institutions and individuals; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this text be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body so that we all may strive to live up to the ideals of racial healing.
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