Orange County NC Website
4 <br /> 1 own MPO called the Sandhills MPO, but until that happens, they will be considered in the <br /> 2 transportation plan and given 400 points. She said she looks forward to the Black History <br /> 3 Knowledge Bowl and Poetry Slam at McDougle Middle School on Saturday. Finally, she <br /> 4 encouraged everyone to take advantage of early voting. <br /> 5 Commissioner McKee said he had no announcements. <br /> 6 Commissioner Richards said she also attended the Ag Summit the previous day and the <br /> 7 discussions were very enlightening on resiliency as well as the session Commissioner Portie- <br /> 8 Ascott mentioned. She said she also attended the ABC Board meeting today and received <br /> 9 updates from community organizations that are funded through ABC profits. She said she was <br /> 10 happy to see organizations across the community are working with youth. She shared that she <br /> 11 also read in a fourth-grade classroom today at Carrboro Elementary School. <br /> 12 Vice-Chair Greene said that early voting is underway and announced the early voting <br /> 13 sites. She said last week she attended the 40th Anniversary Breakfast of Habitat for Humanity and <br /> 14 shared that the head of Habitat International is Jonathan Reckford, a local to Orange County. She <br /> 15 said she attended the Ag Summit and noticed there were more participants this year as well as <br /> 16 more vendors. She said Amy Eckberg, Sustainability Coordinator, gave a presentation on the <br /> 17 completed Climate Action Plan and how much of it depends on the resilience and capabilities of <br /> 18 the agricultural community. She said the consultants for the Comprehensive Land Use Plan were <br /> 19 also there gathering input from the community. Lastly, she mentioned the marker unveiling that <br /> 20 took place in Carrboro on Sunday by the Orange County Community Remembrance Coalition. <br /> 21 She said this is the first of two markers that will go up sponsored and gifted by the Equal Justice <br /> 22 Initiative. She said this marker honors the memory of Manley McCauley, who was lynched in 1898 <br /> 23 at 18 years old. She shared some of the context surrounding his death. <br /> 24 <br /> 25 4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/ Special Presentations <br /> 26 a. Black History Month Proclamation <br /> 27 The Board approved a proclamation declaring February 2024 as Black History Month. <br /> 28 <br /> 29 BACKGROUND: Carter G. Woodson and three others started Black History Month, proclaimed <br /> 30 by every president since 1976. These Black Americans formed the Association for the Study of <br /> 31 Negro Life and History (ASNLF), which started the idea of Black History Month in 1915, at the <br /> 32 celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of emancipation in Washington, DC. The ASNLF, an <br /> 33 organization whose mission was to research and promote the achievements of Black Americans <br /> 34 and other people of African descent. The first celebration was during the week in February that <br /> 35 encompassed Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas's birthdays. In 1976, President Gerald <br /> 36 Ford expanded the celebration to the month of February. President Ford urged Americans to <br /> 37 "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in <br /> 38 every area of endeavor throughout our history." The month of February was selected to <br /> 39 commemorate the birthdays of Lincoln and Douglas and to recognize the history of Black <br /> 40 Americans and the historical significance they represent in the history of the United States. <br /> 41 <br /> 42 This year's Black History Month theme is "African Americans and the Arts", which explores the <br /> 43 key influence African Americans have had in the fields of "visual and performing arts, literature, <br /> 44 fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural <br /> 45 expression." <br /> 46 <br /> 47 County activities commemorating Black History Month are detailed on the attached list. <br /> 48 <br /> 49 <br />