Pittsboro hosted two events on Saturday that celebrated Black history and culture.

In the morning, community members celebrated the addition of a brand new mural at George Moses Horton Middle School in Pittsboro designed by Durham-based artist David Wilson. The mural features a brightly colored collage of important African American figures in Chatham County’s history.

Conceived by the Chatham County’s Community Remembrance Coalition, the mural serves as a tribute to Black community members who embodied the values of truth, justice and reconciliation in their lives and work, including Reverend Rufus Vassie Horton.

Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Mural

Horton served many roles throughout his lifetime including a poet, preacher, grocery store owner, and author of “Can These Bones Live?” He was a blood relative of George Moses Horton, who the middle school is named after. He provided counsel to county residents who needed it and encouraged young community members to be their best.

Members of the Horton family were there on Saturday to see the mural be unveiled. Euphalia Horton Farrar, the daughter of Reverend R.V. Horton said it was a “great honor” to see the mural.

“He loved everybody. He thought the main thing was ‘everybody needs to get together’ and those were some of his favorite words,” she said of her father. “We got to get together, that’s the way we are improved. That’s the way we grow and that’s the way we get to learn what others think and get to love each other.”

Along with Reverend R.V. Horton, the mural honors a midwife, sheriff, Black History Program advocate, teacher, farmer and school principal. The mural portrays them in the forefront, framed by important emblems of Chatham County’s history.

Directly following the mural’s unveiling, community celebrations continued in Pittsboro with the 6th Annual Juneteenth Black Arts Festival.

The parking lots were quickly filled for the event and according to the executive director of Community Organizing for Racial Equity (CORE), Karinda Roebuck, they were able to double the number of vendors who came.

Pittsboro’s 6th Annual Juneteenth Black Arts Festival

Roebuck said the whole event came together because of the hard work of the community members who were on the planning committee.

“We had community members part of our Juneteenth planning committee that planned this entire thing,” she said. “I help with some logistics like permitting but essentially coming up with the schedule, coming up with the vendor forms, recruiting vendors and food trucks, that’s all community.”

At the event, participants were able to enjoy food, music and shopping.

“It’s just to come together and be together in our collective liberation and our joy,” Roebuck said.

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