Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
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 14t" and 15t" 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 , justic <br /> and dignity for all people — locally, nationally, and globally. <br /> This the 18t" day of November, 2025 . <br /> Ja4ietta E6dford , Cha ' <br /> Orange County Board of Commissio rtt� :xr <br />