Written by HENRY TAYLOR and BRIGHTON McCONNELL
Three groundbreaking Black local leaders saw their years of service awarded by being inducted into the Order of The Long Leaf Pine, a prestigious society of influential North Carolinians given out by the governor’s office.
On Monday, Nov. 18, town leaders and community members gathered at the Chapel Hill Town Hall to celebrate the achievements of Howard and Lillian Lee. Three days later, a similar ceremony was held in Carrboro to honor Braxton Foushee.
Howard Lee was Chapel Hill’s first Black mayor, elected in 1969. That same year he started the Chapel Hill Transit System, the headquarters for which was renamed in his and his wife’s honor. Lillian Lee was a local educator and community advocate for decades. Former U.S. Rep. David Price gave a speech about Howard’s accomplishments, while EMPOWERment Inc. Director Delores Bailey did the same for Lillian.
“Well, it’s a wonderful honor,” Howard Lee said. “I’ve always recognized this is one of the supreme awards that can be given in the state of North Carolina, and to be able to receive it certainly rounds out my journey in the state.”
“It certainly confirms that all of the sacrifices we’ve made, the time we spent and the opportunity we’ve had has been well worth it,” the former mayor added. “The sacrifices from family, from kids and from other things we might have otherwise done in a relaxing way, to be able now to have this many people to express appreciation on what we have been able to contribute means a lot to us.”
Howard Lee (right) and Lillian Lee (center) hold up their plaques affirming their induction into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine alongside N.C. Rep. Allen Buansi. (Photo by Henry Taylor/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
Lee said that he has been proud to see Chapel Hill continue developing ever since he was at the helm years ago.
“Well, it’s not the same Chapel Hill, obviously, but we knew it would grow,” he said. “Those of us during those days, really tried to plan in a way that when the growth came, it would not be so overbearing that people would not expect and enjoy using the facilities that are here. So I think they’ve done a really good job, the leaders today, in planning and developing and managing growth in a way that it’s not yet overbearing.”
Lillian Lee also said it felt special to receive the statewide honor.
“It means that the things that I tried so hard to do and the difference I tried to make paid off,” she said, “and people appreciate all that I tried to do to make a difference in the lives of a lot of people, and in Chapel Hill. It felt great. We had no idea what to expect. We didn’t know all of these people would be here. It really has been heartfelt.”
Lee said she believes it is important, especially now, for young people to get actively involved in the community like she and Howard did decades ago.
“You must be involved,” she said. “The future belongs to you, and you must get involved so that you can make a difference and help make this place the kind of place where all of us feel wanted and needed, and just love and support it.”
Chapel Hill’s current mayor Jess Anderson was among the town’s elected officials there on Monday. She said she was glad to see the Lees receive the honor — and said she assumed had already happened, based on their profound impact.
“If there is anybody that should have already been inducted, it is the Lees,” said Anderson. “They are true heroes of our community, and they represent the best of us. So I’m so glad that we finally got that business taken care of.”
North Carolina Rep. Allen Buansi — a Chapel Hill native who represents both towns in the state House — was also surprised that they were not. He was the legislator responsible for pushing forward the applications for the Lees and Foushee to be inducted into the order after being approached by some passionate former elected officials. Buansi said he believes the three local icons are more than deserving of this statewide level of recognition, and credited the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community for its efforts to bring the nominations forward. After hosting Monday’s event and calling the Lees “powerhouses in their own right,” the state representative also shared high praise of Foushee at the event on Carrboro.
“It’s just an honor and privilege to be a part of this,” Buansi said on Thursday following the ceremony honoring Foushee. “Braxton has meant so much to me, not just in my development as a public servant, but as a man. The way he’s so strong, resolute, and fights is everything that I try to emulate about him. So, when folks brought to my attention that he hadn’t yet received the honor, I said ‘We have to rectify that quick, fast and [in] a hurry.
“It was a team effort,” he added of getting the trio added into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. “I’m just glad I was part of the process of shepherding it along and that Gov. Stein made it happen.”
Thursday’s event — held at Carrboro’s Drakeford Library Complex — similarly featured dozens of local dignitaries, family members and friends there to celebrate Foushee’s service and leadership over seven decades. Braxton Foushee began his civil rights advocacy as young as 15 years old, when he helped escort older Black residents to register to vote in the 1950s when there were many voter suppression and intimidation tactics in place. As he grew up, he took part in protests and sit-ins around Chapel Hill and Carrboro to encourage integration, and was part of a labor movement to encourage equal pay and fair treatment of Black employees. In 1969, Foushee became the first Black member of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen and served three four-year terms. Since then, he’s stayed involved with local government at the town and county levels — serving on a variety of commissions and boards — and been involved with groups like the local NAACP chapter, Boy Scout Troop 411 and Camp Independence in Georgia.
“I don’t do this work to stand up here before you,” Foushee said after taking the award to a standing ovation. “I’m honored to receive this, but I didn’t do all that for myself.
“I just want to thank you,” he added, “for showing up for me. You don’t know how much I appreciate it.”
Carrboro Mayor Barbara Foushee — who started dating Braxton Foushee in 2003 and later married him — emceed the event and said she is reminded daily working in local government that she “stands solidly on [her] husband’s shoulders” thanks to his trailblazing efforts as a Black elected official. She acknowledged Braxton’s humility, saying he often credits his advocacy as a reaction to him “seeing a need” and doing something about it.
“I’m just really honored to be able to stand here and say a few words about this man, this myth, and, certainly, this legend,” said Barbara Foushee. “There’s just simply not enough words to honor Braxton’s body of selfless work in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro communities. So I simply say: thank you, Braxton Dunkin Foushee.”
Alongside a being able to lead the official North Carolina Toast at events, members of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine receive a certificate signed by the North Carolina governor — which confers the recipient “the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary” representing the state with their civic leadership.
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