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