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8 <br /> WHEREAS, Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of <br /> slavery in the United States; and <br /> WHEREAS, Juneteenth has been declared a paid holiday by the governing bodies of Orange <br /> County, Town of Chapel Hill, the Town of Carrboro, the Town of Hillsborough, the Orange <br /> County Schools District and the Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools District; and <br /> WHEREAS, the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was passed by <br /> Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified by the required 27 of the then 36 states on <br /> December 6, 1865, and proclaimed on December 18, 1865, abolished slavery and involuntary <br /> servitude, except as punishment for a crime; and <br /> WHEREAS, we recognize that while the Emancipation Proclamation and the 131" amendment <br /> may have officially ended the legal practice of enslaving human beings in the United States of <br /> America, one hundred and fifty six years later, there is still progress which must be made to <br /> dismantle the insidious systems and practices which continue to harm Black people and deny <br /> them access to the rights and resources to which they are entitled; <br /> NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, <br /> join with Black, Indigenous and People of Color Elected Officials in honoring the perseverance <br /> and hope that inspired African Americans to celebrate freedom, to look for lost relatives, and to <br /> thrive in a hostile and white supremacist environment, recognize Juneteenth as an important <br /> date in American history. <br /> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we honor the legacy of Juneteenth by building a more <br /> equitable future for our children, our children's children, and their children and we will continue <br /> to advocate and work to that end. <br /> This the 1st day of June, 2021. <br /> Renee Price, Chair <br /> Orange County Board of Commissioners <br /> A motion was made by Chair Price, seconded by Commissioner Hamilton, to approve <br /> and authorize the Chair to sign the resolution. <br /> Roll call ensued <br /> VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> Chair Price said much of the language in the resolution comes from the statement that <br /> the BIPOC elected officials have recorded, and will be read on Juneteenth. <br /> 5. Public Hearings <br /> None. <br />