In 1960, Braxton Foushee and a group of other African-American students from Lincoln High School started the Chapel Hill sit-in movement just weeks after hearing of the Greensboro sit-ins. These youth picketed and sat-in at segregated lunch counters and movie theaters, and they even organized a mass protest that delayed the start of a UNC-Duke football game.
Braxton went on to become Carrboro’s first African-American alderman. During his tenure on the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, he was instrumental in the preservation of Carr Mill Mall and of the creation of Anderson Park. Looking back on those decisions, Braxton says the board had to look at the big picture and take a long-term perspective. Clearly, those decisions have resulted in two facilities that are among the most used in town.
Along with his service to the community, Braxton successfully ran his own business for more than 20 years. He has also worked in our local schools and at the hospital. He has volunteered with the local NAACP and the Boy Scouts. He has served on the board of OWASA.Â
Braxton Foushee has impacted his community in deep and meaningful ways. At an age where he could enjoy retirement, we are fortunate that he is once again stepping up to help. Although I cannot vote in Carrboro elections, I truly love the town and I wholeheartedly support his candidacy for the Carrboro Board of Aldermen.
Today Braxton has the same passion of the civil rights activist, the vision of the former alderman and the common sense of a small business owner. He is connected to Carrboro in so many ways that he thinks about every challenge the town faces from many perspectives. Braxton is a great listener, and he is willing and able to speak clearly and calmly for what he believes.
I appreciate the way Braxton considers the needs of multiple constituencies, and the way he measures the long-term impacts of town policies. He has common sense ideas about how to address the need for additional workforce housing, support the residents of the Rogers-Eubanks neighborhood and use Carrboro’s industrial areas.
We are always fortunate when elected service draws those who maintain that magical elixir of passion and wisdom, vision and practicality. Braxton Foushee has all of these. I wholeheartedly endorse Braxton Foushee for Carrboro Board of Aldermen.
Graig Meyer
White Cross