In 2023 Barbara Foushee was the first Black woman elected as mayor of Carrboro and the second Black person to hold the office.
Foushee has served on Carrboro’s town council for six years.
Foushee grew up in eastern North Carolina and graduated from Saint Augustine’s University, a historically Black college in Raleigh.
“It’s also kind of surreal,” Foushee said. “I could have never imagined, growing up in Duplin County all those years ago, that I would end up here running for mayor of a town.”
Foushee comes from a family of trailblazing and civically engaged citizens, so one may say it runs in the family. Many of these community leaders are women as well, continuing in a long tradition of Black women being at the forefront of civic change in the nation.
Barbara’s husband, Braxton Foushee, has been a trailblazer in Carrboro for civil rights, and December 13, 2023 was commemorated as the first Braxton Dunkin Foushee Day of Service in Carrboro in his honor.
As a Black woman, Foushee said, she will bring new lived experiences to the seat, including new ideas and a different set of values.
“I have a lot to bring to the seat,” she said. “Mine will be a different kind of leadership, and I think it will be palatable to our community.”
“Being in the mayor’s seat will allow me to have a stronger voice and a stronger say there because I do have a few things that I’m thinking about doing,” she said.
As mayor, Foushee said she wants to focus on implementing the Town’s comprehensive plan. She also said she is looking forward to working on affordable housing, housing access, the climate action plan and expanding local and regional transportation.
Barbara continue her work with her sorority, Zeta Phi Beta, Incorporated, and serves on many boards throughout the Triangle.
