HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 03-10-20; 4-b - Women’s History Month Proclamation 1
ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: March 10, 2020
Action Agenda
Item No. 4-b
SUBJECT: Women's History Month Proclamation
DEPARTMENT: Human Rights and Relations
ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT:
Annette M. Moore, (919) 245-2317
Proclamation Commissioner Renee Price, (919) 245-
2130
PURPOSE: To approve a proclamation recognizing March 2020 as Women's History Month in
Orange County.
BACKGROUND: Celebration of Women's History Month had its roots in the socialist and labor
movements in New York City. The first "Women's Day" took place on February 28, 1909. The
day honored the one year anniversary of the garment worker's strikes that had taken place in
New York, where thousands of women marched for economic rights. That strike followed
another strike that occurred in 1857 when garment workers marched for equal rights and 10-
hour work days. Within two years the event grew into an international event. In 1975, the
United Nations officially began International Women's Day; which will be celebrated on March
8t" this year.
At the inception of Women's History Month, feminists in the United States saw the designation
of the month as a way to celebrate a history that had largely overlooked the contributions of
women in America. Women's History Month has its origins as a national celebration in 1981
when Congress authorized and requested President Jimmy Carter proclaim the week beginning
March 7, 1982 as "Women's History Week." In 1987, the Women's History Month Project
petitioned the US Congress to designate the month of March as "Women's History Month."
Ronald Reagan was the first president to proclaim March as Women's History Month.
Currently, local, state and federal governments annually proclaim March as "Women's History
Month." Each year the National Women's History Project declares a theme. The 2020 theme is
"Valiant Women of the Vote." The theme honors "the brave women who fought to win suffrage
rights for women, and for the women who continue to fight for the voting rights of others."
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with consideration of this
proclamation.
SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: The following Orange County Social Justice Goals are applicable
to this item:
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• GOAL: FOSTER A COMMUNITY CULTURE THAT REJECTS OPPRESSION AND
INEQUITY
The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race or color;
religious or philosophical beliefs; sex, gender or sexual orientation; national origin or
ethnic background; age; military service; disability; and familial, residential or economic
status.
• GOAL: ENABLE FULL CIVIC PARTICIPATION
Ensure that Orange County residents are able to engage government through voting and
volunteering by eliminating disparities in participation and barriers to participation.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: There is no Orange County Environmental Responsibility Goal
associated with this item.
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board approve and authorize the
Chair to sign the Proclamation.
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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, American women of every race, class, and ethnic background have made
historic contributions to the growth and strength of our Nation in countless recorded and
unrecorded ways; and
WHEREAS, American women have played and continue to play critical economic,
cultural, and social role in every sphere of the life of the Nation by constituting a significant
portion of the labor force working inside and outside of the home; and
WHEREAS, American women of every race, class, and ethnic background served as
early leaders in the forefront of every major progressive social change movement;
WHEREAS, American women have been leaders, not only in securing their own rights of
suffrage and equal opportunity, but also in the abolitionist movement, the emancipation
movement, the industrial labor movement, the civil rights movement, and other movements,
especially the peace movement, which create a more fair and just society for all; and
WHEREAS, because of the courage of so many bold women who dared to transcend
preconceived expectations and prove they were capable of doing all that a man could do and
more, advances were made, discoveries revealed, barriers were broken and progress
triumphed; and
WHEREAS, despite these contributions, the role of American women in history has been
consistently overlooked and undervalued, in the literature, teaching and study of American
history; and
WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners on March 25, 1976,
established the Orange County Commission for Women to promote the growth and
development of all Orange County women and continue to promote the efforts of women and it
has been doing for more than 40 years.
NOW, THEREFORE, do we, the Board of Commissioners of Orange County, North
Carolina hereby proclaim March 2020 as "Women's History Month" and commend this
observance to Orange County residents and call upon them to celebrate the women in their
lives with appropriate programs, celebrations and activities.
THIS THE 10t" DAY OF MARCH, 2020.
Penny Rich, Chair
Orange County Board of Commissioners