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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: March 5, 2026 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 4-a <br /> SUBJECT: Women's History Month Proclamation <br /> DEPARTMENT: Office of Civil Rights and Civic <br /> Life <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> Proclamation Paul Slack, 919-245-2317 <br /> PURPOSE: To approve a proclamation designating March 2026 as Women's History Month in <br /> Orange 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, 2026. <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 /> The County will again be hosting the same Color Me Bad Event similar to last year. This event is <br /> a Women's Retreat examining rest as resilience and resistance. Tricia Hersey, an American poet, <br /> performance artist, and activist, popularized this concept, arguing that rest is a direct challenge to <br /> systems of oppression that demand constant productivity, especially from women. The Color Me <br /> Bad event will occur on March 28, 2026. <br />