Orange County NC Website
5 <br /> WHEREAS, Orange County acknowledges that the annexation of the homelands of <br /> Indigenous Peoples occurred over the centuries for the establishment and development of <br /> Orange County; and <br /> WHEREAS, Orange County values the contributions made to the progress of society <br /> accomplished through the knowledge, labor, technology, philosophy, arts and culture of <br /> Indigenous Peoples; and <br /> WHEREAS, Orange County recognizes its responsibility to promote the human and civil rights <br /> of all people inclusive of Indigenous People of the United States; and <br /> WHEREAS, the people of Orange County understand that, to help close the equity gap, <br /> governments, agencies and institutions must change policies and practices to reflect the <br /> experiences of the Indigenous Peoples of this land, and uplift the Indigenous Peoples of this <br /> nation; and <br /> WHEREAS, the idea of Indigenous Peoples' Day was proposed first in 1977 by a delegation of <br /> Indigenous Nations who came before the International Conference on Discrimination Against <br /> Indigenous Populations in the Americas, sponsored by the United Nations; and <br /> WHEREAS, on February 4, 2002, the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, located in <br /> Orange, Caswell and Alamance Counties, became the eighth state-recognized Indian tribe in <br /> North Carolina, and is one of 567 Indigenous Nations in the United States; and <br /> NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Orange County Board of County <br /> Commissioners henceforth shall recognize the second Monday in October as Indigenous <br /> Peoples' Day to celebrate and honor the history, legacy, heritage and activism of Indigenous <br /> Peoples that have existed here since pre-European colonialism; and <br /> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Orange County, in concert with the Towns of Carrboro, <br /> Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, encourages elected bodies, educational institutions, businesses <br /> and organizations throughout the United States likewise to adopt and recognize Indigenous <br /> Peoples' Day; and <br /> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Orange County, inclusive of the Towns of Carrboro, <br /> Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, joins the Tribal Council of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi <br /> Nation in declaring that Indigenous Peoples' Day shall be an opportunity to celebrate the <br /> thriving cultures and values of Indigenous Peoples; and <br /> BE IT MOREOVER RESOLVED, that Indigenous Peoples' Day shall be used to reflect upon <br /> the struggles of all Indigenous People in this land including, those whose ancestors lived in the <br /> area now known as Orange County, and to reaffirm a commitment toward reconciliation among <br /> all Peoples, and thereby to promote the progress and advancement of civilization. <br /> A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Price to <br /> approve the resolution recognizing the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples' Day <br /> in Orange County and authorized the Chair to sign the resolution. <br />