TITLE
Title
RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT FOR THE "400 YEARS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY COMMISSION ACT"
end
SPONSOR
Sponsor
Commissioner Foster
end
RESOLUTION
Resolution
Of Support for the “400 Years of African-American History Commission Act”
WHEREAS, Public Law 115-102 was signed January 8, 2018 to establish the “400 Years of African-American History Commission Act” to commemorate the arrival of Africans in the English Colonies in 1619; and
WHEREAS, the duties of the 400 Years of African-American History Commission are to recognize, highlight, and education the public on the resilience and contributions of African-Americans since 1619, acknowledge the impact of slavery and racially discriminatory laws on the United States, and encourage civic patriotic, historical, educational, artistic, religious, economic and other organizations to organize and participate in the Commemoration; and
WHEREAS, people of African descent in Guilford County were dehumanized, enslaved and deprived of their progeny, homeland, family, friends, inheritances, name, religious rituals, and cultural practices and were not treated as equals in every sphere of life for many generations; and
WHEREAS, for many years Guilford County’s residents have been at the forefront in making right those atrocities by fighting for and encouraging freedom, inclusion, growth and prosperity for all of its citizens; and
WHEREAS, the first route of the Underground Railroad, a network of trails and hiding places that led fleeing African-American slaves to the North, began in a cave near a creek on what is now the Guilford College campus. A slave from Guilford County, John Dimrey, was the first to follow the Underground Railroad to freedom in 1819; and
WHEREAS, in 1873 Bennet College, a college for African-American Women was established, followed shortly thereafter by the establishment and opening of the Agricultural and Mechanical College (Now North Carolina A&T University) in 1893; and
WHEREAS, in 1957 Greensboro became the first City in the southeast to desegregate its all-white public schools a pre-curser to the historical Sit-In movement on February 1, 1960 where N.C. A&T students Ezell Blaire Jr., David Richmond, Joseph McNeil and Franklin McCain sat peacefully at the Woolworths Lunch Counter to protest for equality; and on February 11, 1960, 26 African-American High Point students were the first high schoolers in the United States to lead their own sit-in to end racial discrimination in food service at lunch counter; and
WHEREAS, High Point citizens and local historians have proudly taken the lead to form a community Commemoration Committee, with the mission to launch of series of programs and events throughout 2019 in the city of High Point during this the 400th year of remembrance.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Guilford County Board of Commissioners that it hereby shares its support of the “400 Years of African-American History Commission Act”, and encourages all our communities to plan, organize, conduct and participate in research, activities, events and programs to celebrate African-American History.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I hereunto set my hand and
cause the corporate seal of the County of Guilford to be
affixed, this the 17th day of January 2019.
________________________________
J. Alan Branson, Chairman
Guilford County Commissioners
end
REQUESTED ACTION
Requested Action
Adopt resolution in support of the "400 Years of African-American History Commission Act"
end