The Carrboro Town Council unanimously passed an amendment to the town code to rename Carr Street as Braxton Foushee Street on Tuesday night. Due to her marriage to Braxton Foushee, Mayor Barbara Foushee recused herself from the council’s discussion and vote on the item. Her recusal placed Mayor Pro Tempore Danny Nowell in charge of the council’s consideration of the item.
The council heard comments from 11 members of the public, including seven who opposed the measure in some capacity and four who supported it. All seven opposition speakers are residents of Carr Street while those who spoke in favor are members of the Carrboro-Chapel Hill community, but do not live on Carr Street.
Despite their approval of honoring Braxton Foushee, residents said their opposition to the renaming was grounded in their frustration with the council’s handling of the process. Specifically, several residents voiced their displeasure with the amendment being handled via the consent agenda. They also cited an overall lack of communication from the town council as a source of frustration.
“We certainly appreciate the time for several of us to come forward and speak on this renaming,” said Carr Street resident Dick Forbis, “not because we think that there is anything wrong with recognizing and honoring Braxton Foushee, because that’s long overdue and is a wonderful thing for Carrboro to do. We are trying to come to grips with the impact on all of the residents of Carr Street who are just finding out about this proposal.”
“Some of the members that are here who live on Carr Street have received a letter from the town,” continued Forbis, “describing the action, and with all of the background information. My wife and I and several others have not received anything, have not received any notice, that Carr Street might be renamed.”
Forbis’ surprise over the street’s renaming was shared by other residents, several who said that the only official communication they received from the town was on the day of the meeting. They were surprised to learn that the renaming was first raised by the town council in November 2023.
“The way the board renamed Carr Street was rushed through in a secretive process,” said Carr Street resident Sonia Rovner. “The agenda for the November 29, 2023, meeting did not even mention Carr Street. You did not give the residents any warning of the change before or after the meeting. You know who we are so why are you hiding this until it’s too late. The residents should have some input.”
“First you didn’t want to hear from us,” she continued, “second you foisted on us the burden of changing our documents – this is no small task.”
Resident Camille Pickett said that she and her neighbors received an email from the town’s staff on Tuesday, the day of the meeting, which said that residents could have known about the renaming by reading about it in various news publications.
“We also received in the email tonight,” Pickett said, “that the town has taken good faith and intentions to take this step in a transparent and thoughtful way, and respectfully, that’s absolutely not indicated by our complete ignorance of this decision.”
The meeting’s crowd contrasted with the January 30 session which saw no one present to comment on the renaming of Carr Street. During that meeting, the town council adopted a resolution that provided financial support for citizens affected by the renaming of East and West Carr Street to Braxton Foushee Street in honor of Braxton Foushee. Foushee was the first Black member of Carrboro’s Board of Aldermen, is a current member of the town’s planning board, and led the desegregation movement at the UNC Hospital cafeteria in addition to numerous other civil rights initiatives.
Carr Street was named after Julian Carr, the namesake of Carrboro. Originally known as West End, due to its geographic location directly west of Chapel Hill, the town’s name eventually changed to Carrboro after Carr expanded his textile mill and agreed to provide electricity to the community. Carr was a Confederate soldier and the single largest donor to the Silent Sam Confederate monument on UNC’s campus. The Town of Carrboro has reckoned with its namesake in recent years, dedicating a “Truth Plaque” at the town hall to clarify Carr’s role as a segregationist.
“This makes me proud to be a Carrboro resident,” said Carrboro resident Rani Dasi, “and today we have a unique opportunity to honor someone with such courage, such wisdom, and such a willingness to consistently show up to make his community better, and we could not be more fortunate.”
Dasi continued by addressing the Carr Street residents.
“I would ask you to consider how do I explain to my children why we should maintain a racist name that sticks to me and my family every time I hear it,” said Dasi. “They don’t understand that and neither do I. I am thrilled to support the proposal to rename Carr Street to Braxton Foushee Street. Let’s move from pettiness and hate to perseverance and wisdom and reflect the value that we say we want Carrboro to represent.”
When asked by Council Member Randee Haven O’Donnell about the lack of communication between the town and Carr Street residents, Planning Director Trish McGuire said it was largely caused by the timing with which the council proceeded after it made its initial resolution on November 29.
McGuire explained that after the initial resolution was passed in late November, several weeks passed before the town staff received a draft copy and was able to hold discussions on the resolution. The staff then prepared communications for residents, but the town’s attorney and finance department agreed that the communication needed to go out following the council’s budget amendment. The budget amendment, which covers cost-assistance for low and moderate-income residents, passed at the January 30 meeting.
“That meeting occurred last week,” said McGuire, “and so we sent the letter out right after that.”
Though O’Donnell proposed an amendment to extend the timing of the renaming process, Nowell declined the amendment.
“I think it’s important that everybody who’s a part of this discussion remembers that we are asking a minority, a small number of people, to carry a burden for the majority of us,” said Nowell. “But I feel very secure in the majority interest in this instance. With due respect, and appreciation for your thinking Council Member Haven-O’Donnell, I will decline the amendment.”
Nowell thanked Carr Street residents for their comments and said the council considered the burden residents would have to bear during the renaming process. He also addressed Council Member Catherine Fray’s suggestion to re-consider renaming Alabama Avenue after Braxton Foushee instead of Carr Street.
“When we considered other streets,” said Nowell, “Broad and Alabama, we considered also other residents. This burden would fall somewhere, and it is a burden that is not a joy to ask of homeowners anywhere. It’s a joy, I think, to have the opportunity to do better in our public remembrance. I think one reason Carr Street is so fitting in addition to the obvious replacement of the name is its prominence and location in our downtown. I think this is a good place for Braxton Foushee to be remembered. I think it’s a street, that as we heard from many longtime Carrboro residents who have played a big role in our town’s identity, have called home for a long time. It’s a consequential Carrboro street.”
“I understand some displeasure from some folks who are bearing a burden that we are going to ask you to bear,” Nowell concluded, “and I am very appreciative of you for doing it, and your time.”
To watch the full meeting from February 6, click here.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Seems to be a common issue with Carrboro town government where they don’t do the proper planning, community outreach and communication up front and mess up what should be a positive change in the community.