CHICAGO — Last week, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle was proud to introduce the County’s first-ever Racial Equity Week. The week included a series of events to listen, learn, and engage with our government and community partners and residents to emphasize the need to advance racial equity in Cook County.
“From these discussions and our engagement with residents, partners, and policy makers throughout the week, it is clear that many of our peers share our passion for making racial equity a reality. I look forward to holding this week every year,” said President Preckwinkle.
Beginning with a sold-out City Club address on Monday, President Preckwinkle spoke about the importance of racial equity work in a speech entitled, “Advancing Racial Equity in Cook County: Closing the gap through policy and practice.” The speech highlighted different policy areas in which Cook County has worked to advance equity, including investments in transportation and infrastructure, expanding healthcare and the addressing digital divide.
On Wednesday, President Preckwinkle and Cook County Commissioner Alma Anaya (7th District) hosted a forum on racial equity at the National Mexican Museum of Art in Pilsen.
The Offices Under the President amplified the work of the government fellows who completed the Chicago United for Equity fellowship program with a showcase on Thursday and encouraged other government leaders and agencies to pursue the fellowship.
Additionally, on Thursday evening, Cook County participated in a panel discussion following a screening of “Cooked: Survival By Zip Code,” a Kartemquin documentary about the heatwave that hit Chicago in the mid-90s that disproportionately impacted people of color. Commissioners Alma Anaya (7th District), Dennis Deer (2nd District), and Chief of Staff Lanetta Haynes Turner discussed the need for government to address structural racism as a public health crisis with the film’s director, Judith Helfand.
To close out the week, President Preckwinkle moderated a discussion about the intersection of public policy and public art in advancing racial equity with two artists at EXPO Chicago who are part of the Floating Museum, Faheem Majeed and Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford.
