CARRBORO, NC -- The Town of Carrboro is planning an event to celebrate the renaming of Carr Street to Braxton Foushee Street at 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 27, with a community gathering outside the Areté Studio, 203 E. Carr Street.
The street dedication will begin with the unveiling of newly installed street signs, after which we will gather for words from community members, poetry, music and refreshments.
Find available public parking at https://www.carrboronc.gov/2774/Downtown-Parking Parking lots close to the event site at 203 E. Carr St. include the E. Main Street Lot at 108 E. Main St. (gravel lot across from Armadillo Grill).
Braxton Foushee is a local civil rights leader, a current Planning Board member, and the first Black member of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen (now the Town Council). The street renaming in his honor was proposed last fall on Oct. 17, 2023, when the Council heard a request from Dave Mason, president of the Lincoln High School Alumni Association, Pat Mason and Herman Murrell Foushee. The Council voted to approve the street name change on Nov. 29, 2023. The change becomes official on March 27, 2024.
Carr Street is named for Julian Carr, a noted white supremacist. The namesake of Carrboro, he was an active and influential participant in Jim Crow era efforts to create a system of racial segregation. A Truth Plaque at Town Hall reads, in part: “Although the town continues to bear his name, the values and actions of Carr do not represent Carrboro today.”
About Braxton Foushee
Also in recognition of Braxton Foushee’s long-standing commitment to advancing civil rights and other community interests, the Town Council last year proclaimed Dec. 13 as Braxton Dunkin Foushee Day of Service.
Braxton Foushee has dedicated over 54 years of his life to continuous service as an elected official, a member of a town advisory board and a community leader. He became the first Black member of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen (now the Town Council) in 1969, serving until 1981.
As a young man, Braxton Foushee worked to advocate for Black residents. Around the age of 15, he worked alongside Rebecca Clark, helping escort and protect older Black citizens to register to vote, breaking a national pattern of voter disenfranchisement. In 1961, he began to work with the local labor movement, advocating for equal pay and fair treatment for Black residents.
He has championed many issues that have directly impacted the Black community in Carrboro, including ensuring equitable access to paved roads, sidewalks and bicycle infrastructure. He worked tirelessly to fight injustices against Black residents by law enforcement, resulting in state agencies investigating and diversifying the Carrboro Police Department in the 1970s.
- About the Braxton Foushee Street Dedication
More details are forthcoming about the event. For more information, contact Communication and Engagement Director Catherine Lazorko at clazorko@carrboronc.gov - About Street Renamings in Carrboro
The Town of Carrboro is providing information and resources to residents who live along Carr Street affected by the street renaming. Learn more at https://www.carrboronc.gov/2982/Street-Renaming