Carrboro, North Carolina, is named for Durham industrialist Julian Shakespeare Carr, who, during the 1913 dedication of UNC’s infamous “Silent Sam” Confederate statue in 1913, bragged about horsewhipping “a negro wench until her skirts hung in shreds” after she had insulted a “Southern [white] lady”. He openly defended the Ku Klux Klan, opposed black suffrage, and encouraged lynchings.

The legacy of this outspoken white supremacist does not currently reflect the values of this beautiful Eastern NC city. A former mill town, Carrboro now neighbors a liberal arts university (UNC-Chapel Hill) and is easily one of the most diverse, progressive municipalities in NC.

It is time that our city’s name finally reflects the values of its citizens. It is highly recommended that the name of Carrboro be changed to “Drakeford”, after Robert “Bob” Drakeford, Carrboro’s first and only black mayor.