{"id":3392,"date":"2026-06-18T15:35:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T15:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=3392"},"modified":"2026-06-18T15:35:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T15:35:30","slug":"nc-county-commissioners-juneteenth-comments-spark-outrage-heated-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=3392","title":{"rendered":"NC county commissioner\u2019s Juneteenth comments spark outrage, heated meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

CONCORD, N.C. (WJZY) \u2014 A Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners meeting turned heated after one commissioner called Juneteenth \u201ca lie,\u201d drawing sharp criticism from community leaders as the board moved forward to formally recognize the holiday.<\/p>

Read more NC transportation board concerned over threat of repaying millions for stalled I-77 South project<\/a><\/p>\n

Commissioner Larry Pittman made the remarks during general comments at Monday night\u2019s meeting, questioning both the history and timing of the holiday.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all I want to address this thing about Juneteenth. I don\u2019t support it because it is based on a lie,\u201d Pittman said.<\/p>\n

His comments prompted interruptions from the audience and fellow attendees, as tensions escalated inside the meeting chambers.<\/p>\n

The debate came as commissioners approved a resolution recognizing Friday, June 19, as Juneteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.<\/p>\n

Pittman also challenged how the holiday is taught and observed.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue history is important, not what an elitist point of view forces to be taught in schools and ignores the real truth of what happened,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Cabarrus County NAACP President Theron Smoutherson condemned the remarks, saying they were not surprising but deeply concerning.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsidering who it came from, I\u2019m not surprised,\u201d Smoutherson said. \u201cHe is not a friend of the African American community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
Theron Smoutherson says he wasn\u2019t surpised at Pittman\u2019s remarks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Smoutherson pushed back on Pittman\u2019s suggestion that Juneteenth should be celebrated at a different time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t tell him what day to celebrate Confederate holidays, so what gives him the right to tell us when we celebrate?\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you have a platform like he is and you\u2019re saying things like that from the platform, it divides us more than it brings us together, and we\u2019re divided enough as it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pittman indicated he would support recognizing the end of slavery in December, when the 13th Amendment was ratified. Smoutherson said that argument reflects a misunderstanding of the holiday\u2019s significance.<\/p>

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\u201cThat\u2019s not how it works. That\u2019s not how we choose our holidays,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s how we react and stand up to it that makes a difference \u2014 stand up and show our pride and who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement, Cabarrus County officials said the Juneteenth observance represents the effective end of slavery in the United States and reflects the principle that all men are created equal.<\/p>\n

During Monday night\u2019s meeting, the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution recognizing June 19 as Juneteenth.<\/p>\n

\n

This approval showed majority support for celebrations of the holiday locally and across the country.<\/em><\/p>\n

As stated in the proclamation, the majority of the board recognizes that the day \u201crepresents the effective end of chattel slavery in the United States and symbolizes the triumph of freedom, justice and the American ideal that all men are created equal.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

In addition to Juneteenth, the board believes in recognizing the many celebrations that commemorate freedom in the United States.<\/em><\/p>\n

Any comment about the dissenting vote on the proclamation should come from the individual who cast that vote.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The meeting grew more tense as Pittman continued his remarks, at one point saying, \u201cIt makes me sick what passes for history that is falsehood and I will not just sit by and take it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pittman told Queen City News he does not do interviews when we requested one after the meeting.<\/p>

Read more Drought worsens again across NC as exceptional conditions spread in Triangle<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThat\u2019s not how it works. That\u2019s not how we choose our holidays.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nNC county commissioner\u2019s Juneteenth comments spark outrage, heated meeting - Raleigh Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=3392\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NC county commissioner\u2019s Juneteenth comments spark outrage, heated meeting - Raleigh Moving News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cThat\u2019s not how it works. 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