This year, Daily Tar Heel photographers captured moments of joy and defeat, of tradition and change.
Identity and culture were celebrated through gatherings, dances and club meetings. The Holi Moli festival was the largest student-run event on UNC’s campus, with brightly-colored powders painting the sky. South Asian dance group Bhangra Elite attended the East Coast Showdown competition and won the first-place title, and the Carolina Indian Circle held it’s first in-person powwow since the pandemic.
In sports news, the UNC women’s lacrosse and field hockey teams went undefeated all season, bringing home two NCAA National Championship titles. The women’s soccer team ended a hard-fought season just short of the national title.
Students rushed Franklin St. as the men’s basketball team beat Duke twice. In Hubert Davis’ inaugural season as head coach, the Tar Heels earned a spot in the national championship and entered the fall with a preseason number one ranking.
Community members cast their ballots in the midterms elections, and UNC saw the impacts of federal debates on affirmative action and abortion access.
On campus, the University underwent large-scale testing as lead was found in the water of 100 buildings.
Campus activists and leaders made progress on community issues, including advocating for higher pay for housekeepers.
And the University unveiled a permanent memorial dedicated to the life James Lewis Cates Jr. Cates, a 22-year-old Black Chapel Hill resident, was murdered in 1970 in UNC’s campus by members of a white supremacist motorcycle gang.
A series of snapshots show a community in action through highs and lows.
