In an announcement today (Tuesday, Oct. 4)., Mayor Damon Seils has proclaimed Sunday, Oct. 23, to be Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP Founding Day in Carrboro.
The proclamation recognizes the 75th anniversary of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which first convened on October 23, 1947, in Chapel Hill at what is now called the Hargraves Community Center.
The anniversary theme “Honor the Past. Build the Future” will be explored through several events designed to bring the community together during the month of October, including:
- Umoja Read-In at the Chapel Hill Public Library on Oct. 8 to celebrate the culture, cuisine, and literature of the African Diaspora
- Freedom Journey walk and bicycle ride from Lincoln Center to Hargraves Community Center on Oct. 15
- 75th anniversary gala at the Sheraton Chapel Hill Hotel on Oct. 22
- Founding Day commemoration on Oct. 23
“I encourage all residents to participate in the Diamond Anniversary events, to reflect on the history of the movement for equal rights in our community, and to recommit to the fight to end race-based discrimination in Carrboro and beyond,” Mayor Seils said.
Local historian Mike Ogle stated that: “Black Americans had been fighting back for generations, during slavery and in the eight decades since, each successive generation making more gains and then demanding more. But progress had been slow and painful. Now it was becoming apparent that they did not intend to live under Jim Crow much longer. In Chapel Hill, we faced what would infamously be called ‘candy-coated racism.’ In Carrboro, a sundown town dangerous for Black people to venture into at night past the railroad tracks, there was nothing sweet about it.”
Read the complete resolution at https://www.carrboronc.gov/2630/Proclamations-and-Resolutions and learn more about the anniversary at https://naacp75.com/
###
