Contact: Bill Knox
Phone: 336-668-2165

Bill of Rights Exhibit at Central Library Runs Through December

GREENSBORO, NC -- (December 7, 2010) -- A Bill of Rights exhibit is on display now through December 31 in the Central Library lobby, 219 N. Church St. The exhibit coincides with the recognition of December 10 as Human Rights Day and the first day of Human Rights Week, and December 15 as Bill of Rights Day, as proclaimed recently by Greensboro Mayor William H. Knight. 

This exhibit features a copy of the US Senate’s editorial markup of the original Bill of Rights and is on loan from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s Jackson Library. Its visit to the library is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of the Piedmont Triad and the Human Rights Coalition of North Carolina.  

On December 15, 1791, the first ten amendments to the US Constitution were ratified and became known as the Bill of Rights and on December 10, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Since 1941, US presidents have traditionally proclaimed Bill of Rights Day as a special day to acknowledge the guaranteed freedoms people enjoy and often Greensboro mayors have issued similar proclamations, as have other mayors and governors.

The full text of the Bill of Rights and Declaration of Human Rights documents are available at www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights.html and www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml.

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The City works with the community to improve the quality of life for residents through inclusion, diversity, and trust. As the seventh largest employer in Greensboro, the City has a professional staff of 2,800 employees who maintain the values of honesty, integrity, stewardship, and respect. The City is governed by a council-manager form of government with a mayor and eight council members. For more information on the City, visit www.greensboro-nc.gov or call 373-CITY (2489).