Thursday, January 27, 2022 (4:11 pm)

OC Fair Board votes to fly PanAfrican flag in honor of Black History Month in February

OC Fair & Event Center celebrates and welcomes all communities. Today the OC Fair Board voted to approve the Community Affairs Committee’s recommendation to adopt a policy to fly the PanAfrican flag at OC Fair & Event Center each February in recognition of Black History Month.

A flag-raising ceremony is slated for Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 9 a.m. at the OC Fair & Event Center administration building and all are welcome. 

This is the full text of the resolution that was approved:

RECOMMENDATION The Community Affairs Committee’s recommendation to the Board of Directors is to approve the proclamation and resolution below, and adopt a policy to fly the Pan-African flag at the OC Fair & Event Center each February in recognition of Black History Month.

BACKGROUND PROCLAMATION AND RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE 32ND DISTRICT AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION REGARDING BLACK HISTORY MONTH AND THE EQUAL REPRESENTATION OF DIVERSITY PRESENTED AT THE ORANGE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS

WHEREAS, the mission of the 32nd District Agricultural Association (the “District”) is the celebration of Orange County’s communities, interests, agriculture and heritage; WHEREAS, the District recognizes and affirms the Black/Afro-American community as one of the communities that makes up the fabric and heritage of Orange County;

WHEREAS, in fulfilling its mission, the District is proud to celebrate the Black/AfroAmerican community;

WHEREAS, February is observed across the United States as a month to recognize, educate, and celebrate the history of Black/Afro-American contributors to American history, infrastructure, politics, entertainment, education, business/entrepreneurship, science/technology/engineering/math, anthropology/culture, and global civil/human rights movements; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the District recognizes the Pan-African/Black Liberation flag as a symbol of welcoming and inclusiveness of the Black/AfroAmerican community specifically and of all ethnically diverse communities generally;

NOW, THEREFORE, the Board of Directors of the District hereby proclaims February as Black History Month at the OC Fair & Event Center;

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors of the District hereby reaffirms the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and nondiscrimination as core institutional values of the District and the OC Fair & Event Center;

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors hereby reaffirms its policy prohibiting discrimination by the District on the basis of any characteristic protected by law, and, in proclaiming Black History Month at the OC Fair & Event Center, expressly notes that this prohibition applies to discrimination against any person on the basis of their race, ethnicity, or nationality; and

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors hereby directs that the PanAfrican flag be flown every February henceforth alongside all official flags that are displayed on the District’s property, as a symbol of the District’s belief in the equal dignity of all persons who visit the Fair’s grounds and of the District’s commitment to welcoming and including people of all backgrounds and identities to the OC Fair & Event Center; and

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors, in the continued belief in the equal dignity of all persons who visit the Fair’s grounds and commitment to welcoming and including people of all backgrounds and identities to the OC Fair & Event Center, hereby proclaims that no community member be left in the dark, unrepresented by the OC Fair & Event Center.