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3 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING DECEMBER 6, 2025 AS <br /> ABOLITION DAY <br /> WHEREAS, on the sixth day of December, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the United <br /> States Constitution was ratified, reading: "Neither slavery nor involuntary <br /> servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have <br /> been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place <br /> subject to their jurisdiction", thus legally abolishing slavery in the entire <br /> United States; and <br /> WHEREAS, this historic act represented a monumental step forward in the pursuit of <br /> human rights, yet the full promise of freedom and equality has yet to be <br /> realized for Black Americans and other marginalized communities; and <br /> WHEREAS, the ratification of the 13th Amendment laid the groundwork for the <br /> subsequent 14th and 15th constitutional amendments and later civil rights <br /> legislation, it also gave rise to new systems of racial control through the <br /> criminal punishment exception, including convict leasing, Jim Crow laws, <br /> and mass incarceration; and <br /> WHEREAS, the promise of abolition inspired generations of freedom movements — from <br /> Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Movement, and onward to today's <br /> ongoing struggle for racial equity and justice; and <br /> WHEREAS, the journey to freedom has been and continues to be a protracted and <br /> arduous journey, marked by resilience and resistance in the face of <br /> violence, oppression, and systemic injustice; and <br /> WHEREAS, the abolition of slavery affirms our shared belief in the inherent worth and <br /> dignity of every human being, and reminds us that progress toward justice <br /> requires moral clarity, persistence, and collective action; and <br /> WHEREAS, historically marginalized and oppressed people nevertheless remain <br /> resolute and emboldened by the spirit of their ancestors, continuing the <br /> march toward true freedom, equity, and collective liberation; <br /> NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, do hereby <br /> proclaim that December 6, 2025 shall be recognized as ABOLITION DAY <br /> throughout the County, and urge all residents to reflect upon this history <br /> and to actively engage in the ongoing struggle to secure freedom, justice, <br /> and dignity for all people — locally, nationally, and globally. <br /> This the 18th day of November, 2025. <br /> Jamezetta Bedford, Chair <br /> Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />