CARRBORO, NC – Carr Street is being renamed Braxton Foushee Street in honor of 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 Council made its initial vote on the street name change on Nov. 29, 2023, approved financial assistance on Jan. 30, 2024, to qualifying residents for expenses related to changing addresses, and then on Feb. 6, 2024, it officially amended the Town Code to change all references of E. Carr Street and W. Carr Street to E. Braxton Foushee Street and W. Braxton Foushee Street. The change will take effect 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.”
The street renaming 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 for a street to be named “Braxton Foushee Street.”
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.
Assistance to residents making address changes
There are 45 addresses on Carr Street that will be affected by the change. The Town of Carrboro will assist residents with incomes equal to or less than 80 percent of the area median income who are directly affected. This assistance will consist of $100 to offset some of the direct and indirect costs associated with changing addresses.
For more information
Residents with questions or concerns should contact Town of Carrboro Planning Director Trish McGuire at pmcguire@carrboronc.gov or 919-918-7327.