This week’s Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is James Holman — crew leader for UNC housekeeping services and a lifetime delegate of the university’s Employee Forum.

Holman is a longtime advocate for UNC employees and was recently announced as the winner of UNC’s inaugural Rebecca Clark Staff Award for Moral Courage.

“I was real surprised. I can see a few other people that deserve that award, right, but I was very surprised and really honored,” said Holman.

Holman has a long resume of advocacy on campus and beyond in addition to his work as crew leader for UNC housekeeping services. Holman is also the district chair of the state employees association of North Carolina. Additionally, he’s active in the Carolina Black Caucus and he’s been a delegate to the UNC employee forum for more than a decade.

“I was honored to be the person to be able to give it to James, because I’ve worked with him, I’ve seen his fearless tireless advocacy,” said Shana Hill, the chair of the UNC Employee Forum.

In the midst of COVID-19, Holman has helped organize PPE for housekeepers and brought in state officials to address concerns about UNC’s health care plan as they’ve been asked to put themselves on the line for the past eight months.

“I didn’t think anybody paid any attention to the stuff that I’ve been doing over the years,” said Holman. “I mean, I got a lot of pushback at times. I got labeled a trouble maker, but I kept wanting to do what I know is right.”

Listen to this week’s Hometown Hero segment:

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