Agenda - 09-02-2021; 8-a - Minutes

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6 1 happen over the course of the Civil War but was "a near century process." Emancipation was 2 not a gift bestowed upon Black Americans by Lincoln or the Republican Party; it was something 3 Black Americans fought for from the time they came to this country enslaved more than 400 4 years ago until today. In fighting for their freedom, Black Americans have shaped what it means 5 to be a citizen in this "imperfect" country we call home. Through judicial decisions and 6 legislation, Black Americans have redefined the words, "[We] the people." 7 8 This year there will be online and in person community celebrations of Juneteenth, June 18 — 9 20, by the Towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools system, 10 the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP, the Marion Cheek Jackson Center and others. Juneteenth 11 will be celebrated with Black community and cultural events through arts performances, history 12 exhibits, music and activities. Staff recommends the community attend these events to learn 13 more about Juneteenth and the history of the Black community. 14 15 "The attached resolution regarding Juneteenth echoes many of the declarations and sentiments 16 expressed by the Black, Indigenous and People of Color Elected Officials group in their 17 statement commemorating Juneteenth, and thereby affirms the Board's support for this 18 nationwide holiday. 19 20 Annette Moore explained the history of Juneteenth, and read some of the background 21 information from the agenda abstract. She said early Juneteenth celebrations featured giving 22 newly freed people information about voting. She discussed some of the Juneteenth events 23 that will be celebrated this year, as noted in the abstract. She said this resolution will affirm the 24 decision made last year to support Juneteenth as a paid county holiday. 25 Chair Price said there will be an art exhibit on June 18-20 called, "Say Their Names". 26 She said it will highlight murders, lynchings, and atrocities that have occurred over the last 400 27 years. She said even though Juneteenth is a day of celebration, it is important to highlight the 28 fact that there is still work to do. 29 Chair Price read the last two paragraphs of the resolution: 30 31 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 32 Resolution Supporting Juneteenth 2021 33 34 WHEREAS, Juneteenth is a celebration of the date, June 19, 1865, when people who were 35 enslaved in Texas were informed that the US government had officially outlawed the brutal 36 practice of slavery, three years prior with the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation; and 37 38 WHEREAS, the Emancipation Proclamation issued on January 1, 1863 declared that the people 39 who were enslaved in Confederate-controlled areas were officially free people (state action was 40 used to abolish slavery in areas controlled by Union forces with the exceptions of Kentucky and 41 Delaware where slavery was finally ended by the Thirteenth Amendment in December 1865); 42 and 43 44 WHEREAS, isolated from both Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War, Texas had 45 become a refuge for those who wished to continue the practice of holding human beings as 46 property; and 47 48 WHEREAS, since the capture of New Orleans in 1862, people who held human beings as 49 property in Mississippi, Louisiana and other points east had been migrating to Texas to escape 50 the Union Army's reach and more than 150,000 people held in bondage had been moved to 51 Texas; and the White people of Texas actively worked to ensure that the people held in