On the anniversary of his tragic death, James Cates Jr. will be honored in several ways by the Chapel Hill town government and community.

Cates, a Black resident of Chapel Hill’s Northside neighborhood, died on November 21, 1970 at the hands of a man who was part of a white supremacist motorcycle gang called the “Storm Troopers.” Stabbed by a knife during a larger altercation, eyewitnesses at the event on UNC campus said Cates lay on the ground bleeding for 20 minutes before being taken to the hospital. He was 22 years old.

In recent years, more research has been committed to sharing more of Cates’ history, including his life prior to his murder. After starting at the segregated Lincoln High School, Cates was one of the first Black students to join the integrated Chapel Hill High School. He worked on the school newspaper and demonstrated during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.

To honor his family and friends, who Chapel Hill says “have carried the pain of his loss for 50 years,” the town government is orchestrating ways for community members to mourn. On Saturday, flowers and personal messages to the Cates Family can be placed at the Peace and Justice Plaza on East Franklin Street. A web page on the Chapel Hill Community History website is also taking messages of remembrance and comfort that will be sent to the Cates family through Monday, November 23.

Additionally, a non-Town-sponsored remembrance march will take place at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Community members organizing the event say the march will start at the Hargraves Community Center before moving to the St. Joseph CME church and walking to the Peace and Justice Plaza.

Mayor Pam Hemminger shared a statement in a town release about Cates and his murder, saying a full account of the events leading up to his death are needed. She said the town government seeks to learn why the tragedy happened and wha role the Town of Chapel Hill played in those events.

“We commit to working with the Cates Family and with our partners at UNC to engage honestly with the people of Chapel Hill to comprehensively investigate the events of Mr. Cates’ murder,” said Hemminger. “We commit to being open to and transparent about all discoveries made as a result of this process. By working together, we will be working to make Chapel Hill a more just, understanding, and resilient community – one where a young Black man like James Cates can thrive and take pride in calling home.”

Photo via the Center for the Study of the American South.

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