Carrboro-Chapel Hill Juneteenth Celebration

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2026 |HARGRAVES COMMUNITY CENTER 

| 4 PM – 8 PM

Check back for more information on our 2026 Juneteenth Celebration

The Carrboro-Chapel Hill Juneteenth Celebration is an annual, community-focused event held around June 19th to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. The event celebrates Black culture, history, and community. 

The Towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill initiated the observance and commemoration of Juneteenth on June 19, 2020 and encourage residents and employers to recognize the holiday.

Event Schedule (4 - 8 pm Friday, June 19, 2026) 

Check back for more information on our 2026 Speakers and Performers!

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Juneteenth 2025 Important Information and Resources

Juneteenth is the oldest national commemoration of the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States. 

The holiday itself is June 19, and marks the day in 1865, two months after the Civil War ended, when freedom of enslaved people reached Galveston Bay, Texas with an announcement by U.S. troops, according to the National Museum of African American History & Culture. The Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 freed people who were enslaved, but it was not yet fully abolished in Confederate states. The 13th Amendment abolishing slavery was ratified in December 1865.

On August 23, 2007, the North Carolina General Assembly approved An Act Recognizing Juneteenth National Freedom Day in North Carolina (Session Law 2007-450) but has not designated Juneteenth as an official state holiday. 

On July 14, 2020, the Carrboro Town Council adopted a resolution designating Juneteenth as an official paid holiday for Town employees and urged state and federal legislators to sponsor legislation making Juneteenth an official state and federal holiday. 

On June 17, 2021, the United States Congress approved the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, and President Joe Biden signed the bill the following day, making Juneteenth National Independence Day a federal holiday. 

In 2022, Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order designating an additional paid holiday for state employees in the agencies that report to him through his Cabinet. They will be able to take off Juneteenth or another day of their choosing that recognizes “cultural, religious or personal significance.”

Read the Juneteenth Proclamation 

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Past Observances of Juneteenth

Current and former BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) elected officials of Orange County have come together to observe Juneteenth by sharing the history of Juneteenth in resolutions of recognition. Our community also celebrates local Black history and culture at special events. Watch these special programs via the links below.

The BIPOC Elected Officials of Orange County shared a Resolution in Recognition of Juneteenth in June 2021. The BIPOC Electeds are a rainbow coalition (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) with representation from the towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough; Orange County Board of County Commissioners; the NC General Assembly; the Orange County School Board; and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board. 

NAACP Youth Council hosted a Juneteenth Celebration on June 19, 2021, at Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main St. Before the festivities on this historic day, remarks were shared by Kendall Lytle of NAACP Youth Council, local historian Danita Mason-Hogans, Carrboro Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Foushee, Orange County Board of Commissioners Chair Renee Price, North Carolina Senator Valerie Foushee, and Chapel Hill Poet Laureate CJ Suitt.  

Resolution in Recognition of 400 Years of the African American Story.  This resolution is read by the elected officials, who then recognize past and present African American elected officials in Orange County.  Following the resolution and recognition, Dr. Freddie Parker, Professor Emeritus of History at North Carolina Central University, gives a presentation on the history of Juneteenth.