Agenda - 02-12-2008-e - Laserfiche WebLink

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TO: Members, ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MOSES CAREY, Chair BARRY JACOBS, Vice -Chair VALERIA FOUSHEE ALICE GORDON MICHAEL NELSON FROM: WILLIAM HENDRICKSON, Chair Orange County human YslBtiong Commimsion DATE: August 30, 2007 RE: ORANGE COUNTY SOCIAL JUSTICE GOAL REPORT The enclosed report responds to a February 2004 directive from the Orange. County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). The BOCC requested that the Orange County Human Relations Commission (HRC), through the Department of Human Rights and Relations (HR &R), develop a social justice goal for Orange County for consideration by the BOCC. Orange County is one of the most progressive counties in the State of North Carolina. The National Association of Counties was unable to find any county that had adopted a "social justice goal." Consequently, the BOCC's interest in considering a social justice goal for the County explicates the County's progressiveness. Since the term "social justice" was first used in 1840, it has caused great debate amongst and between social scientists, the faith community, politicians, national governments, and basically anyone whose purpose is to define the term. Orange County residents and the HRC also realized the complexity of defining or fashioning what "social justice" is or should look like. To accomplish the BOCC's directive, Professor John Calmore, Reef C. Ivey Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law and internationally acknowledged expert in Social Justice Lawyering and Social Justice Practice, was contacted to provide insight and guidance. Professor Calmore stressed the importance of ensuring input is solicited and received from the primary beneficiaries of any social justice goal. In adherence to Professor Calmore's guidance, input was solicited from the residents of Orange County, from the human services departments within Orange County government, and from Orange County citizen advisory boards and/or commissions. The enclosed document was crafted based upon input from Orange County residents, input from Orange County human services departments, and Orange County citizen - advisory boards and/or commissions.