Peace and protest, justice and injustice: marking Chapel Hill's sacred space

A little-known fact: grass used to grow around the flag pole in front of the old post office on Franklin Street. That's why those red brick pavers are there--as filler. It was only in latter times, probably since 1979 when the town purchased the property from the federal government, that the space was paved over.

Luckily for these four young men, it was grass during Holy Week in 1964 when they decided to fasten themselves to this place 24 hours a day, fasting in protest of the Town of Chapel Hill's refusal to pass a public accommodations ordinance.

Pat Cusick, LaVert Taylor, John Dunne, James Foushee (in the photo) and countless other activists will be remembered this Sunday at 3 p.m. as we unveil and formally dedicate the Peace and Justice tribute marker at the site we've named Peace and Justice Plaza.

Please join us for the celebration. Opening remarks by Mayor Kevin Foy, Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, and local NAACP chapter president Michelle Laws will be followed by brief tributes to the people honored on the marker. We will also recognize Yonni Chapman, historian, for his tireless work to ensure that past struggles for civil rights in Chapel Hill are remembered. Dan Pollitt, emeritus professor in the UNC School of Law, will conclude with some personal recollections of his own experiences on the front lines of local battles for civil rights and social justice.

The marker bears the names of nine people who devoted much of their lives to working for causes of peace and social justice in our community: Charlotte Adams, Hank Anderson, James Brittian, Joe Herzenberg, Mildred Ringwalt, Hubert Robinson, Joe Straley, Lucy Straley, and Gloria Williams.

At the top of the marker is a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.:

True peace is not simply the absence of some negative force; it is the presence of justice.

The marker is a flat granite paver, flush to the ground, directly in front of the flag pole. It is designed so that other names can be added in the future.

What's been most remarkable lately, as town employees have worked to remove one section of the brick pavers and ready the space for the installation, has been an archaeological discovery. On the concrete base that was poured to stabilize the brick pavers when they were laid, someone etched a swastika. (Click on the photo for an enlarged view; it's in the lower corner.) Emily Cameron, landscape architect for the town, puts it beautifully in perspective: "We thought it was worth noting that we have removed an historic symbol of hate and racial prejudice that had been hidden at the foot of our nation’s flag to replace it with a marker to commemorate the struggle for equality, justice, and peace."

New prospects

I've become an urban commuter. Without having to drive any farther than the new Durham Amtrak station, I'm able to sit down, read a book, enjoy the view, and, an hour later, set foot on Washington Street in downtown Greensboro. I wheel my spiffy rolling brief case up Elm Street, past the old Woolworth's that's being made (finally) into a civil rights museum, past the elegant old Jefferson Pilot building, to the law school. I do this two days a week. It thrills me every time I walk in the door of Elon University School of Law, a mid-century modern treasure designed by Edward Loewenstein to house the Greensboro Public Library. The $6 million transformation, completed in 2006, was beautifully and lovingly carried out.

As a total newcomer, I'm intrigued by downtown Greensboro. There isn't much of it--of the compact high-density old/new Greensboro, that is--but what's there is pretty interesting. I hoped David Wharton would have had something to say about it, and so he has, in a great photo essay. The issue currently, it appears, is whether to enact design guidelines for the downtown. It'll be interesting to see how that discussion plays out. From my perspective as an elected official charged with overseeing the vitality of Chapel Hill's downtown, I hope some version of the proposed standards is implemented.

What a nice surprise to see that my favorite architecture critic, Chicago's Blair Kamin, has already weighed in on Greensboro. Speaking there two years ago, he brought stories from Chicago but emphasized that each city has its own DNA. Rightly, he praised Elm Street for its walkability and charm, while noting that "the downtown still has far too many streets that seem like miniature expressways—more corridors for cars than places for people."

The jewel of downtown Greensboro--luckily, one block from the law school--is the new Center City Park (completed in December 2006). What a happy place to spend a lunch hour! Its designers smartly engaged the Project for Public Spaces early on in the planning, and it shows. The park is beautiful, functional, walkable, sittable (in shade or sun), easily programmable (music at noon every Wednesday), and just plain inviting. David Wharton goes point by point through the Project for Public Spaces' 10 principles for good parks, finding happily that it measures up.

Which way will Greensboro go? Will the process of revitalizing the downtown into a lively, livable/walkable/workable place continue? or is there cause for concern that even Elm Street is in danger?

I'm only an urban commuter here, but I'm pulling for this downtown, voting with my feet every time I glide up Elm Street. Meanwhile, Center City Park reminds me that someday--before too much longer, I hope--we'll see our own beautiful and well-designed downtown park--the one designed by Mikyoung Kim for the 140 West project, also according to those tried and true principles set forth by the Project for Public Spaces.