Orange County NC Website
3 <br /> 1 4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/Special Presentations <br /> 2 a. Women's History Month Proclamation <br /> 3 The Board adopted a proclamation designating March 2025 as Women's History Month in Orange <br /> 4 County. <br /> 5 <br /> 6 BACKGROUND: The celebration of Women's History Month traces its roots to the socialist and <br /> 7 labor movements in New York City. The first Women's Day took place on February 28, 1909, <br /> 8 marking the one-year anniversary of the garment workers' strikes in which thousands of women <br /> 9 marched for economic rights. This strike followed another in 1857, when garment workers took to <br /> 10 the streets demanding equal rights and a 10-hour workday. Within two years, the movement grew <br /> 11 into an international event. In 1975, the United Nations officially recognized International Women's <br /> 12 Day, which will be celebrated on March 8, 2025. <br /> 13 <br /> 14 When Women's History Month was first established, feminists in the United States saw it as an <br /> 15 opportunity to highlight the contributions of women — contributions that had been largely <br /> 16 overlooked in American history. The celebration began as a national observance in 1981, when <br /> 17 Congress authorized and requested that President Jimmy Carter proclaim the week of March 7, <br /> 18 1982, as "Women's History Week." In 1987, the Women's History Month Project successfully <br /> 19 petitioned Congress to expand the celebration to the entire month of March. President Ronald <br /> 20 Reagan was the first to issue a proclamation declaring March as Women's History Month. <br /> 21 <br /> 22 Today, local, state, and federal government agencies continue this tradition, recognizing March <br /> 23 as Women's History Month with events, programs, and celebrations. <br /> 24 <br /> 25 Attached is a flyer to the County-sponsored Color Me Bad Event, a Women's Retreat examining <br /> 26 rest as resilience and resistance. Tricia Hersey, an American poet, performance artist, and <br /> 27 activist, popularized this concept, arguing that rest is a direct challenge to systems of oppression <br /> 28 that demand constant productivity, especially from women. The Color Me Bad event will occur on <br /> 29 March 22, 2025. <br /> 30 <br /> 31 County staff are also in the process of completing planning for a film and panel discussion <br /> 32 centered around the life and work of Pauli Murray. This event is being planned in collaboration <br /> 33 with the Pauli Murray Center. <br /> 34 <br /> 35 Courtney McLaughlin, Community Engagement & Outreach Coordinator, reviewed the <br /> 36 background information for this item. <br /> 37 Commissioners read the following proclamation in turn: <br /> 38 <br /> 39 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br /> 40 WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH <br /> 41 PROCLAMATION <br /> 42 <br /> 43 WHEREAS, American women of every race, class, and background have shaped our <br /> 44 nation through their innovation, creativity, and leadership—successfully rewriting the narrative for <br /> 45 a nation that has not always recognized their contributions; and <br /> 46 <br /> 47 WHEREAS, American women have played and continue to play vital economic, cultural, <br /> 48 and social roles in every sphere of the life of the nation—excelling in academics, the arts, politics, <br /> 49 medicine, sports, and beyond —while navigating challenges both seen and unseen; and <br /> 50 <br />