Commemorating the End of Slavery, Juneteenth Observed in Carrboro
The Town of Carrboro will celebrate Juneteenth as a holiday on Friday, June 18. Household trash will not be collected on Friday. Residents who normally receive waste collection services on Friday will be serviced on Monday, June 21. Town government offices will be closed on Friday.
Mayor Lydia Lavelle has issued a proclamation to observe Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery, in the Town of Carrboro on June 19.
“I encourage residents of Carrboro to learn about and celebrate this historic occasion, and to participate in the Juneteenth Celebration this weekend,” said Mayor Lydia Lavelle.
On July 14, 2020, the Carrboro Town Council voted to recognize Juneteenth as a paid holiday for employees. The town holiday will be observed on Friday, June 18.
A coalition of local organizations, including the Town of Carrboro, invites the community to be a part of the first annual Chapel Hill-Carrboro Juneteenth Celebration on June 18-19; a schedule of virtual and in-person events can be found at chapelhillcarrborojuneteenth.com
Read the proclamation including the history of this celebration at https://www.townofcarrboro.org/DocumentCenter/View/9231/2021-Juneteenth-Proclamation
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This weekend, area residents can celebrate Black culture and community with a variety of virtual and in-person Juneteenth events. The festivities are all free and open to the public and are organized by a coalition of community partners that includes the towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill, the CHCCS Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP, the Marion Cheek Jackson Center for Saving and Making History, and others.
The full slate of events can be found at www.chapelhillcarrborojuneteenth.com and some highlights are listed below:
- Virtual Kickoff featuring Rissi Palmer & Annette Gordon-Reed
Friday, June 18th, 7 p.m.
The weekend gets started with a video premiere featuring Country music superstar Rissi Palmer, Poets Laureate CJ Suitt and Fred Joiner, and local leaders and dignitaries. Immediately following, at 7:30 p.m., Flyleaf Books will welcome Pulitzer Prize-winning scholar Annette Gordon-Reed, in conversation with Dr. William Sturkey about her new book, “On Juneteenth.” - Justice Journey Ride
Saturday, June 19th, 9 a.m.
Meet at Northside Elementary School for a historic bike tour and cruiser ride led by The ReCYCLEry. Ride will be youth-focused and led at a slow pace. Event will include ice cream and T-shirts.
350 Caldwell St, Chapel Hill, NC 27516 - Juneteenth Community Motorcade
Saturday, June 19th, 4 p.m. (Vehicles gather at 3:30 pm)
Hargraves Community Center and Eubanks Road Park & Ride
Decorate your vehicle and drive through historic Black neighborhoods, sharing the Juneteenth spirit! One route will start at Hargraves and progress through the Northside neighborhood, while the other starts at Eubanks Park & Ride and winds through the Rogers Road community. Be sure to tune in to WCHL 97.9 from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. for an hour of great music from Black artists. - NAACP Youth Council Juneteenth Celebration
Saturday, June 19th, 3-6 p.m.
Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main St.
The Youth Council has pulled together a great lineup of music, food trucks, poetry, games, speakers, and vendors. Bring your sunscreen, lawn chairs, and water bottles. No alcohol permitted. - Save the Music Live Performances
Saturday, June 19th, 6-8 p.m. - Franklin Street
- Grab dinner at one of the Black-owned businesses featured in the NAACP’s #BuyBlackCHC campaign and then stroll Franklin Street and enjoy great music from local Black artists, including XOXOK at Peace & Justice Plaza; Sonny Miles at 140 West Plaza; Sway & Smooth at the Chapel Hill Nine Marker on West Franklin; and Tre Charles at 401 Main in Carrboro.
- Virtual Music and Storytelling Performances
Friday and Saturday
For music lovers, there will be special recorded performances from R&B powerhouse SunQueen Kelcey, Jazz legend Lydia Salett Dudley, Hip-Hop pioneer Kevin “Kaze” Thomas, and Gospel group Souls of Joy. For the kids, there will be storytelling performances from Piedmont Poet Laureate Kelly Starling-Lyons and internationally-renowned storyteller Donna Washington.
Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. The towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro declared Juneteenth a local holiday in 2020, and encourage residents and employers to join in celebrations.
Visit chapelhillcarrborojuneteenth.com for full list of events and details.
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Sunday, June 20 is Father's Day!
Wishing all fathers a Happy Father's Day! We honor you for all the hard work, dedication and sacrifices you make for your children and our community.
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Greensboro Street Sidewalk Project Updates
The Town of Carrboro is offering public information opportunities on Tuesday, June 22, for the South Greensboro Street sidewalk project, currently under design.
The project will extend along South Greensboro Street from Carr Street to Public Works Drive. A separate analysis is underway to determine the feasibility of adding bike lanes from the roundabout to the bridge over Morgan Creek.
Opportunities to learn more and provide input:
- A Virtual Drop-in Session: 5 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 22
Drop in to meet the design consultants Ramey Kemp Association (RKA).
Email cmoon@townofcarrboro.org for an invitation to participate in this zoom meeting. - Town Council Public Hearing: 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 22
Public comment can be made by contacting publiccomment@townofcarrboro.org before the meeting. View the meeting livestream at YouTube.com/CarrboroNC or at carrboro.legistar.com
More Information
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Community Food Distribution Scheduled June 24
A Community Food Distribution event is scheduled for 9:30 to 11 a.m. Thursday, June 24, at Carrboro High School, 201 Rock Haven Road, Carrboro, NC 27510.
Anyone in need is welcome. The distribution is first come, first served. It is free of charge, and there are no eligibility requirements.
Distributions are held on a drive-through basis. Boxes are placed inside vehicle trunks.
Free masks will be distributed to anyone who needs them.
Interested in volunteering? Please contact zhall@townofcarrboro.org
The event is sponsored by the Town of Carrboro and the Orange County Social Services Department.
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Eugenia Floyd Day in Carrboro
Wednesday, June 16, was Eugenia Floyd Day in the Town of Carrboro, in appreciation of the dedicated service she provides to her students.
“I urge all residents of the Town of Carrboro to congratulate North Carolina Teacher of the Year Eugenia Floyd,” Mayor Lydia Lavelle said.
Attending Tuesday's Council meeting for the reading of the proclamation was Ms. Floyd with Dr. Nyah Hamlett, superintendent of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, and Board of Education Member Joal Broun.
Ms. Floyd, who shared that she lived on Crest Street in Carrboro during her high school years, is a fourth-grade teacher with the district at Mary Scroggs Elementary School in Chapel Hill. She was first recognized as the Teacher of the Year at Mary Scroggs Elementary School, and then as Teacher of the Year in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District in June 2020, and then as North Central Regional Teacher of the Year in December 2020.
In April 2021, Ms. Floyd was named out of nine state regional finalists as the 2020-2021 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year. As Teacher of the Year, Ms. Floyd will spend the next school year traveling the state as an ambassador for the teaching profession, supported by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and will also serve as an advisor to the State Board of Education for two years and as a board member for the NC Public School Forum for one year.
Read more about Ms. Floyd's dedication to her students in the proclamation posted at https://www.townofcarrboro.org/DocumentCenter/View/9256/Eugenia-Floyd-Day
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Carrboro and Chapel Hill Celebrate Small Town Pride
Feel Small Town Pride this June! The towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill are collaborating to show LGBTQ+ Pride, and to affirm community values ensuring that all residents, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, are treated with respect and dignity.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ+) Pride Month is celebrated nationally and locally each year in the month of June. The origins of Pride stem from the Stonewall Riots that occurred in June of 1969, when attendees of the Stonewall Inn in NYC clashed with anti-LGBTQ police. Marches and protests popped up in some major US cities in June of the following year to commemorate the event, and the tradition has continued. The purpose of celebrating Pride is to promote the equality of the LGBTQ+ communities, as well as increase visibility, challenge anti-LGBTQ legislation, and bring awareness to other LGBTQ issues. Progress for true equality requires the support of everyone, including straight allies who know that support for LGBTQ+ people strengthens the entire community.
Through a mix of in-person and virtual events, Small Town Pride will promote equality and celebrate diversity and acceptance in the towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill. It will involve the entire community, with local businesses, artists, volunteers and community partners. Everyone is welcome!
- Pride Food Truck Rodeo and Dance Party
Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main St., Carrboro, from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 24
Join Mayor Lydia Lavelle (who, with her wife Alicia Stemper, was the first gay couple to receive a marriage certificate in Orange County) at the Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St., as she and other town leaders and community members kick off the night’s celebrations! All are invited to join as they parade the Rainbow Ram down Carrboro’s streets to the Rodeo and Dance Party. There will be food trucks, dance music, and booths from local businesses and organizations, so come dressed to party! Masks and social distancing required.
- Pride Book Club
Meet virtually from 6:30 to 7:30 pm Monday, June 28.
Join us on Zoom to talk to fellow book-lovers, LGBTQ+ folks, and allies about Emily Hashimoto’s debut book, A World Between. Described by BOMB Magazine as “an incredibly refreshing exploration of how the bond between two queer women of color evolves over the course of a decade," this tender, moving book explores the intersections of queer identity, romance, family, and race with a gentleness not often seen in queer stories. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtdOmppzouEtU4HMk3KxV34Z-xydOl23Ez
Get your copy of A World Between by Emily Hashimoto from Chapel Hill Public Library, Flyleaf Books or Epilogue Books. - Social Media campaign
We are highlighting local LGBTQ+ leaders, history and milestones! - Area business specials!
- Post your pride
#SmallTownPride #CarrboroPride #ChapelHillPride #PRIDE2021
Do you have an idea to contribute to the next Small Town Pride? Please contact clazorko@townofcarrboro.org
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Reading Frederick Douglass Together
For 2021, Mayor Lydia Lavelle will host the eighth annual gathering of community members for the annual Community Reading of Frederick Douglass' essay, "The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro."
For this year, the event will be held outdoors at Carrboro Town Commons from 12:00 p.m. noon to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 4. The community reading will also available on our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/carrboronc.
More about Celebrating July Fourth in Carrboro at http://www.townofcarrboro.org/308/July-4th-Celebration
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Join us for a candid conversation!
EmPOWERment Inc., in partnership with Orange County and the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, will hold two virtual listening sessions on Tuesday, June 22, at 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. to hear community feedback on Orange County’s Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHA).
RSVPs are still being accepted. Interested participants can sign up for a session by calling 919-391-5109. Attendees of the sessions will receive a $25 gift card for their feedback on how Orange County can improve the EHA program.
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Orange County Mobile Vaccine Team Available for Home Vaccinations
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. ― In an effort to ensure that all community members have access to the COVID-19 vaccine, the Orange County Mobile Vaccine Team is ready to vaccinate people who are homebound or are otherwise unable to travel to a vaccine clinic.
The Mobile Vaccine Team serves people who are medically fragile or may be physically unable to leave their home. For instance, people who need supplemental oxygen encounter logistical challenges when traveling to a vaccine clinic. Or bed bound people may not be able to make or afford the trip because of the high cost of convalescent services.
How to Sign Up
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Town Council Update
Meeting agendas and updates are issued from the Town Clerk’s Office. To receive these by email or text, sign up for Carrboro Town News at townofcarrboro.org/signup
Civic involvement is a valued tradition in our community. Reach the Town Council with your ideas, views and questions at council@townofcarrboro.org
Coming Up
The Town Council will meet virtually at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 22, to consider the agenda https://bit.ly/3gzsZcv that will be posted at carrboro.legistar.com
To view, livestream at carrboro.legistar.com or YouTube.com/CarrboroNC OR Cable TV 18 (in Carrboro). To speak at the meeting email publiccomment@townofcarrboro.org
More information including the June 15 meeting summary available at http://townofcarrboro.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1769
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