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6- i17- iJ <br /> Lc <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> PROCLAMATION <br /> Women's Equality Day <br /> WHEREAS, women have been leaders in securing their own rights of suffrage and equal opportunity, <br /> and have played an instrumental role in the foundation of the United States of America; <br /> and <br /> WHEREAS, historically the role and importance of women has been overlooked and otherwise not <br /> granted the same gravity and respect as their male counterparts; and <br /> WHEREAS, women have been denied equal access, opportunities and rights granted to their male <br /> counterparts under the laws governing the United States resulting in discrimination and <br /> inequitable treatment; and <br /> WHEREAS, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting women the right to vote was ratified <br /> on August 18, 1920 and was effective on August 26, 1920; and <br /> WHEREAS, the U.S. Congress first proclaimed "Women's Equality Day" on August 26, 1971 to <br /> commemorate the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution and to promote <br /> the continuing efforts of women to achieve full rights and privileges, public or private, <br /> legal or institutional, which are available to male citizens of the United States; and <br /> WHEREAS, gender discrimination and inequity are persistent in wages and earnings where women in <br /> North Carolina earn 83 cents for every dollar earned by men, earn 79 cents in the North <br /> Carolina Triangle area, and nationally women earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by <br /> men; and <br /> WHEREAS, women in the North Carolina Triangle with some college education or an associate's <br /> degree earn less than men with only a high school education; and <br /> WHEREAS, on January 29, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of <br /> 2009, the first bill that he signed into law to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the <br /> Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; and <br /> WHEREAS, the residents of Orange County support the equitable treatment of women, their right to <br /> equal access, and that opportunities for women should not be denied or abridged; <br /> NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, do hereby proclaim August 26, <br /> 2014 as Women's Equality Day in Orange County and encourage residents and businesses to promote <br /> the equitable treatment of women. <br /> This the 17th day of June 2014. <br /> Barry Jac <br /> Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />