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5 <br /> 1 Shameka Fairbanks, Chief Equity Officer, reviewed the background information for the <br /> 2 item. <br /> 3 Commissioner Richards, Commissioner Hamilton, and Commissioner Portie-Ascott read <br /> 4 the following proclamation in turn: <br /> 5 <br /> 6 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> 7 BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROCLAMATION <br /> 8 WHEREAS, it is essential to sustain a harmonious and inclusive society, Orange County <br /> 9 discourage practices and actions deemed detrimental to the peace, welfare, and progress of our <br /> 10 community; and <br /> 11 <br /> 12 WHEREAS, Orange County is home to Black Americans who descend from formerly enslaved <br /> 13 peoples who were victims of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, captured and transported from the <br /> 14 continent of Africa to the Americas where they were sold as property and endured brutal <br /> 15 treatment while being forced to build and develop new lands which includes a country that they <br /> 16 would have to fight to belong to; surviving more than 400 years of subjugation and oppression, <br /> 17 all the while becoming a new and unique group whose lineage predates the founding of the <br /> 18 United States of America; participants in every war fought to defend and protect this nation, even <br /> 19 from itself, Black Americans hold a special place in the foundation of our country and continue <br /> 20 to be the standard bearers of freedom and democracy despite the ever present residue and <br /> 21 persistent ramifications associated with America's original sin of slavery; Black Americans <br /> 22 worked and fought to improve their lives while facing down overt and systemic racism as well as <br /> 23 racial violence and terror; Black Americans have, and continue to contribute to the nation's, and <br /> 24 our community's social, economic, political, spiritual, and mental prosperity; and <br /> 25 <br /> 26 WHEREAS, Black Americans represent a diverse group of respected residents of this country <br /> 27 and the Orange County community; and their contributions of humanitarian knowledge, <br /> 28 technological and societal innovations are vital components of the cultural fabric of our County, <br /> 29 nation and world; and <br /> 30 <br /> 31 WHEREAS, Black American experiences and unrelenting resilience inspire people in Orange <br /> 32 County and around the world, we recognize a collective struggle for equality and inclusiveness <br /> 33 now and into the future until our shared humanity is acknowledged and celebrated; and <br /> 34 <br /> 35 WHEREAS, every American recognizes the need for protest and the defying of cultural norms, <br /> 36 practices, laws and systems that are unjust, oppressive, and exclusionary; we celebrate this <br /> 37 year's Black History Month theme of"African Americans and the Arts"; <br /> 38 <br /> 39 NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Board of County Commissioners of Orange County, do proclaim <br /> 40 February 2024 as "BLACK HISTORY MONTH" and encourage our residents to honor this <br /> 41 distinctive month by becoming more enlightened as to the true history of Black Americans in this <br /> 42 Country and in our community. <br /> 43 <br /> 44 <br />