HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda 11-18-2025; 8-c - Abolition Day Proclamation 1
ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: November 18, 2025
Action Agenda
Item No. 8-c
SUBJECT: Abolition Day Proclamation
DEPARTMENT: BOCC
ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT:
Proclamation Paul Slack, Chief Civil Rights Officer,
919-245-2317
PURPOSE: To approve a proclamation recognizing December 6, 2025 as Abolition Day in
Orange County.
BACKGROUND: The 13th Amendment, ratified on December 6, 1865, formally abolished slavery
in the United States and marked a defining moment in the nation's pursuit of liberty and justice. It
ended the legal institution of chattel slavery, freeing millions of Black Americans who had been
enslaved for generations. However, its exception clause, which allowed involuntary servitude as
punishment for crime, paved the way for new forms of racial control, including convict leasing and
mass incarceration. The amendment remains both a landmark of progress and a reminder of the
ongoing struggle to achieve true freedom and equality for all.
In recognition of Abolition Day, the Orange County Community Remembrance Coalition
(OCCRC), in collaboration with the Orange County Office of Civil Rights and Civic Life, is
sponsoring a number of events:
1) A play by Mike Wiley, The Fire Of Freedom, will be presented at UNC's Kenan Theatre
beginning at 6:00 pm on December 5, 2025.
2) A symposium entitled "Beyond The 13th Amendment: Reclaiming The Promise of
Freedom", from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm on December 6, 2025 at the Carrboro Century Center.
3) A screening of Ada DuVernay's movie 131 on December 10, 2025, at the Seymour Center
beginning at 5:00 pm, followed by a discussion about mass incarceration.
These events explore the impact and importance of the 13th Amendment on American life.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with consideration of the
proclamation.
ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PLAN: This item supports:
• GUIDING PRINCIPLE — INCLUSIVITY AND ENGAGEMENT
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We foster an environment in which all are welcomed, represented, and empowered to
participate in and feel connected to their community.
• GUIDING PRINCIPLE — SOCIAL JUSTICE
We reject oppression and inequity by ensuring fair and equitable treatment of all people.
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board approve and authorize the
Chair to sign the proclamation recognizing December 6, 2025 as Abolition Day in Orange County.
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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING DECEMBER 6, 2025 AS
ABOLITION DAY
WHEREAS, on the sixth day of December, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the United
States Constitution was ratified, reading: "Neither slavery nor involuntary
servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have
been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place
subject to their jurisdiction", thus legally abolishing slavery in the entire
United States; and
WHEREAS, this historic act represented a monumental step forward in the pursuit of
human rights, yet the full promise of freedom and equality has yet to be
realized for Black Americans and other marginalized communities; and
WHEREAS, the ratification of the 13th Amendment laid the groundwork for the
subsequent 14th and 15th constitutional amendments and later civil rights
legislation, it also gave rise to new systems of racial control through the
criminal punishment exception, including convict leasing, Jim Crow laws,
and mass incarceration; and
WHEREAS, the promise of abolition inspired generations of freedom movements — from
Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Movement, and onward to today's
ongoing struggle for racial equity and justice; and
WHEREAS, the journey to freedom has been and continues to be a protracted and
arduous journey, marked by resilience and resistance in the face of
violence, oppression, and systemic injustice; and
WHEREAS, the abolition of slavery affirms our shared belief in the inherent worth and
dignity of every human being, and reminds us that progress toward justice
requires moral clarity, persistence, and collective action; and
WHEREAS, historically marginalized and oppressed people nevertheless remain
resolute and emboldened by the spirit of their ancestors, continuing the
march toward true freedom, equity, and collective liberation;
NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, do hereby
proclaim that December 6, 2025 shall be recognized as ABOLITION DAY
throughout the County, and urge all residents to reflect upon this history
and to actively engage in the ongoing struggle to secure freedom, justice,
and dignity for all people — locally, nationally, and globally.
This the 18th day of November, 2025.
Jamezetta Bedford, Chair
Orange County Board of Commissioners