STORIES

Valerie Foushee is a lifelong resident of Chapel Hill. She is a former Chair of the Orange County Board of Commissioners and served for 10-years in the NC General Assembly, in both the House and Senate. Now Foushee is in Washington, D.C. proudly serving as...

One of the great moments in civil rights history took place in Chapel Hill on May 6th, 1969. That’s when Howard N. Lee was elected mayor of this town. In so doing, he became the first African American elected mayor in a predominantly white southern town since...

In the rich tapestry of Orange County's Black history, few contemporary figures exemplify persistence and public service quite like Joal Hall Broun. As a district court judge for the 15B Judicial District serving Orange and Chatham counties, Broun has become a pivotal...

Superior Court Judge Carl Fox has been a fixture in Orange and Chatham County courtrooms since 1978, when he first began his law career as an assistant district attorney. “After nearly 40 years of practicing law in the same community, I’ve made many, many friends and...

In lieu of a formal introduction, please let this suffice for now: Chapel Hill, meet Ivy Ruth Taylor; Dr. Taylor, meet Chapel Hill. You’ll want to know each other. Leadership transitions at UNC bring with them a significant impact on the townspeople, business,...

The Chapel Hill Historical Society ended its 2024 program series in October with the annual Community Treasures award ceremony on November 9th. This ceremony, recognizing individuals who make our community a better place to live, is one of their most popular and...

The Orange County Board of County Commissioners and Carrboro Town Council recently voted to name the new building at 203 S. Greensboro Street the “Drakeford Library Complex” in honor of Bob Drakeford,

Mama Dip’s Kitchen, located at 408 W Rosemary Street in Chapel Hill, commemorated what would have been its founder Mildred Council’s 95th birthday on Thursday, April 11, 2024.

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...

Lillian Lee is one of those guardians of the Chapel Hill community who puts her arms around the town’s soul, holds its close and tries to protect it. And she’s done an amazing job. In 1965, during her husband Howard’s graduate school years, she joined a colleague —...

Tressie McMillan Cottom is a sociologist, professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, columnist for the New York Times, and a 2020 MacArthur Fellow. Her 2017 book, Lower Ed, has been cited by influential American policymakers, among them the esteemed...

Rebecca Clark (1915-2009), a former UNC Chapel Hill staff member, African-American political activist, and civil rights organizer, fought against unequal pay and workplace discrimination. Clark worked briefly as a housekeeper at the Carolina Inn in the late 1930s and...

On Tuesday, Dec. 5 the Orange County Office of Equity & Inclusion unveiled the new Pauli Murray mural by Scott Nurkin. The mural is located at the Orange County Sportsplex at 101 Meadowlands Dr., Hillsborough. The program included a tribute to Rev. Murray by Dasan...

Meet the remarkable individuals of the 2023 Community Treasures who have dedicated their lives to serving and shaping Chapel Hill: Albert Simms Williams: A civil rights pioneer and Chapel Hill native, Mr. Williams made history with a courageous sit-in at the age of...

CHAPEL HILL CARRBORO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2023 BLACK BUSINESS ALLIANCE BUSINESSPERSON OF THE YEAR “Doing good is simply good business,” says Creighton P. Blackwell Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Community Engagement Coastal Credit Union. Blackwell is an...

Meet Kiara Sanders, the visual artist behind the African American Trailblazers mural. This mural honors twelve Black leaders from Chapel Hill and Carrboro who helped shape and improve our community. The mural features twelve African American pioneers who were vital to...

The Bonnie B. Davis Environment and Agricultural Center is the first county building named after a Black woman, and the only agricultural center in the state of North Carolina named after a Black Family and Consumer Sciences or Home Demonstration Agent. The...

Phyllis Portie-Ascott was chosen to fill the vacant seat on the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, which voted unanimously in favor of her appointment — one of four final applicants for the position. Portie-Ascott was also the Orange County Democratic...

Sharing a meal with Carrboro resident Braxton Foushee, in a public restaurant, is as pleasurable as it is busy. Just as you’re about to lift a fork someone stops by to say hello and to get his advice on a particular issue. And then just as you’re about to dig in, two...

There are a few things to know about Chapel Hill resident, Jim Merritt, to understand the kind of man he is. In 2008, Jim Merritt was appointed to the Chapel Hill Town Council after sitting council member Bill Thorpe died. It was a decision that was made through a...

A community tribute to John Blackfeather Jeffries (1939-2023) will take place on Saturday, March 18, 2023, from 2:00 pm – 3:45 pm at the Jerry M. Passmore Center, 103 Meadowlands Drive, Hillsborough. Free parking is available. Hosting the event is the non-profit...

LeRhonda Manigault-Bryant serves as the Director of the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History. A proud native of Moncks Corner, South Carolina, she wholly and critically grapples with the profound questions that inform our understandings of gender,...

Renée Price was sworn in as North Carolina House District 50 representative for Orange and Caswell counties. The oath was administered by Anita Earls North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice. Price served on the Board of Orange County Commissioners since 2012,...

On January 3, 2023, U.S. Representative Valerie Foushee, a Chapel Hill native, was sworn in as a Member of the United States House of Representatives. The Honorable Valerie Foushee was elected to serve as Representative of North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District....