title
REPORT
Department: Conservation and Policy Council
Request: Approve
Report Title: Position Paper: Moving Towards Racial Equity
Report Period: July 2020
Summary: This position paper is the first of four (4) position papers being developed by the Conservation and Policy Council of the Forest Preserves of Cook County (the “Council”). The Moving Toward Racial Equity position paper recognizes the Forest Preserves exist within a pervasive culture of structural racism and outlines a set of principles and recommendations to meet the Forest Preserves’ nature conservation mission in the most equitable way. The Council began working on this paper in 2018 and unanimously adopted the final paper on 6/10/2020. The Council hopes that the timely completion of this paper can help guide the Forest Preserves staff, the Board of Commissioners, partners, and supporters as they respond to calls for racial justice and equity today and well into the future.
The Council thanks the following for their assistance developing this paper: Emily Harris (Council member and REDI committee chair), Shelley Spencer (Council member), Tracy Bishop (Forest Preserves), Eileen Figel (Forest Preserves), Kendra Freeman (Metropolitan Planning Council), Raquel Garcia-Alvarez (Forest Preserves), Chloe Gurin-Sands (Metropolitan Planning Council), Commissioner Stanley Moore (Board of Commissioner ex officio Council member), Reinaldo Ramos (Forest Preserves), and Professor Kathleen Yang-Clayton (University of Illinois Chicago).
end