Artists recently finished installing the latest in a series of murals in Carrboro supporting racial justice, according to the town.

A new piece painted on the Century Center facing East Main Street and reading “Black Lives Matter” was completed on Friday. It’s the second mural commissioned by the Carrboro Town Council in response to the racial justice movement seen during the summer of 2020.

The Century Center was chosen after deliberation between the town council members about installing artwork on Town Hall, the Town Commons parking lot or elsewhere. Last month, painting on the collaborative mural on the CommunityWorx building was completed.

Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle spoke to this during a recent conversation with 97.9 The Hill, saying the council went with a design that was straightforward compared to the CommunityWorx piece.

“This one is very stark,” she said, “just ‘Black Lives Matter’ in black and white. It looks really good.”

The town had initially explored painting a mural simply saying “Black Lives Matter” on Laurel Avenue or a road near the Town Hall in June. The inspiration came from several public installations on streets in Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Atlanta and other major cities during the national outcry against racial injustice in the wake of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s deaths.

The project hit some hurdles, though, since the roads are also controlled by the state Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. As conversations shifted away from a street installation and to a town-owned property, the town council debated painting a mural either on the Century Center or Town Hall.

While the elected officials aim to eventually have artwork installed near or on Town Hall, those discussions came to a pause in December.

“We’re done for the time being,” Lavelle told 97.9 The Hill. “We originally investigated the roads, the streets around Town Hall and found it’s not so easy when you have overlay of other [organizations] that control parts of the roads. You talk about safety, you talk about markings, you talk about re-paving…we found that we had a lot of hoops to jump through. I think we’re still in the process of doing the right application with the [Federal Highway Administration] to perhaps do something on a street. So, we decided ‘let’s do it on a place that we own’ because we knew we could do it and put it up right away.”

In the meantime, the town purchased Black Lives Matter flags to hang from the entrance of Town Hall, which led to some controversy in October when the site was used as an early voting location.

The Century Center currently houses the town’s Recreation and Parks department, the Carrboro Cybrary and the Carrboro Police Department.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

Related Stories
‹
Carrboro's BLM Mural for Town Hall at a Standstill Until 2021
While painting of the CommunityWorx "Black Lives Matter" mural began earlier this week, the discussion surrounding painting another mural on Carrboro’s Town Hall carries on.
New Chapel Hill, Carrboro Mural to Celebrate Black Trailblazers
Work on a new mural celebrating Black trailblazers and the influence they’ve had on the Chapel Hill and Carrboro communities will begin this week. The mural will be painted at 111 South Merritt Mill Road, “where Chapel Hill and Carrboro meet.” The mural will be on the north side of the building, which currently houses […]
Carrboro BLM Mural Artists to Be Recognized at Town Council Meeting
After months of deliberation and planning, the Town of Carrboro will recognize the artists who contributed to the two Black Lives Matter Murals at their town council meeting tonight.
Student Artists, Community Muralist Needed for Carrboro BLM Mural
After months of back and forth deliberation, the plan of action regarding Carrboro’s multiple Black Lives Matter murals has changed again. Back in June, the Carrboro Town Council began its mission to paint Carrboro’s very own Black Lives Matter mural. After some back and forth deliberations, at a meeting in late August, the council moved […]
Carrboro Town Council To Vote on Multiple BLM Mural Locations
After months of deliberation, the Town of Carrboro will be voting on a new course of action for multiple Black Lives Matter murals at its town council meeting Tuesday night. Back in June, the Carrboro Town Council began its mission to paint Carrboro’s very own Black Lives Matter mural. After some back and forth deliberations, […]
Carrboro's BLM Mural, Town Namesake Changes Still in Limbo
At their meeting last week, Carrboro’s Town Council continued to address two hot topics in the community: changing the namesake of the town and painting a Black Lives Matter mural on town property. First on the agenda, the town council once again discussed changing Carrboro’s namesake – and moving away from all affiliation with Julian […]
Carrboro to Paint 'End Racism Now' Mural in Town Commons Parking Lot
Carrboro’s Town Council met for a special meeting last Tuesday to discuss and choose where the “End Racism Now” mural will be painted. After local artists and volunteers in Washington, D.C., painted “Black Lives Matter” in massive yellow letters on a street leading to the White House on June 5, many cities across the country […]
New Mural Honors Black Leaders From Chapel Hill and Carrboro
Chapel Hill and Carrboro community members are now greeted by a new mural near the towns’ overlap, which honors and recognizes Black civic leaders from the two towns. The mural, located at 111 South Merritt Mill Road along the Chapel Hill-Carrboro border, was completed by artist Kiara Sanders in late September. The piece, titled ‘African-American […]
Carrboro High School Adds New Mural Ahead of New School Year
When students return to Carrboro High School on Monday, August 23, they will see a new mural adorning the building. The Town of Carrboro shared a release Wednesday unveiling a new mural welcoming students to the school and featuring its jaguar mascot. The Carrboro High School Class of 2021, who had not attended classes in […]
Carrboro Completes Black Lives Matter Mural on Century Center
Artists recently finished installing the latest in a series of murals in Carrboro supporting racial justice, according to the town. A new piece painted on the Century Center facing East Main Street and reading “Black Lives Matter” was completed on Friday. It’s the second mural commissioned by the Carrboro Town Council in response to the […]
›