Holly Springs - Wake County Non-Discrimination Ordinance Petition

No place is fully free of discrimination. And while we wish that were true, Holly Springs residents deserve protection, just like every other resident in Wake County. 

Wake County has a non-discrimination ordinance (NDO) for businesses with 100 employees or less. This ordinance has been in effect since February 1, 2022, and it protects residents from discrimination based on “race, natural hair or hairstyles, ethnicity, creed, color, sex, marital or familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, pregnancy, National Guard or veteran status, religions belief or non-belief, age, or disability.”  This wide-ranging protection only protects those in Wake County outside town limits and in towns that adopt the NDO. The NDO has been adopted by all but two municipalities within the county.  Holly Springs is NOT one of them.

We, the residents and business owners of Holly Springs, call upon the Holly Springs Town Council to join other Wake County towns to sign the NDO.

Despite perceptions that discrimination is rare, it is far more frequent than people realize. For fiscal year 2020, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) handled 67,448 charges of workplace discrimination with large numbers of people facing discrimination for disability, race, sex, age, national origin, color, and religion. This discrimination ordinance protects everyone. It also provides an effective means for addressing complaints. Complaints would go through mediation, a process handled by Campbell University’s Restorative Justice Center at no cost to business owners, employees, or taxpayers. 

Sixty percent (60%) of Americans indicate they have been the victim of some type of workplace discrimination and this number should be alarming to everyone. The nation has seen an increase in hate crimes and discrimination in recent years based on race, religion and national origin, and these issues seem to be transferring directly into the workplace, where individuals should feel safe from harm. A non-discrimination ordinance that requires employers and public accommodations to treat all individuals equally, can greatly reduce the harm this type of discrimination can cause and will make Holly Springs a safer, more enjoyable, equitable place. 

The residents of Holly Springs deserve and demand the same protections other residents of Wake County now have.  Please sign this petition urging the Mayor and the Town Council to sign onto the Wake County Non-Discrimination Ordinance. 

Sources:

Fiscal Year 2020 Enforcement and Litigation Data

Workplace Discrimination Statistics