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 the crowd will gather for words from community members, poetry, music and refreshments.
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.
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
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.
