Carrboro's first Black mayor remembered for leadership, influence beyond North Carolina

On Oct. 7, 1978, Carrboro Mayor Robert Drakeford raced Police Chief John Blackwood across Carrboro, Blackwood in a car and Drakeford on a bicycle. Drakeford won — all thanks to the bike paths he had established in the town.

Robert Drakeford was the first Black mayor of Carrboro — serving the Town from 1977 to 1983. As mayor, he cemented his legacy as a champion for community development through strong infrastructure. He passed away on May 16, 2022. Carrboro's new public library, which will open later this month, is named after him. 

Drakeford was passionate about expanding access to public transportation, said his son Derrick Drakeford. He said that when UNC officials initially denied his father's request for funding for the creation of the Carrboro bus system, he printed and distributed thousands of yellow flyers with the chancellor’s phone number to Carrboro residents and UNC students, encouraging them to call and ask for funding.

“He said he delivered them on a Friday, and he said on Monday, the money was in place,” Derrick Drakeford said.

Beyond the bus system, Mayor Drakeford also built bike paths and sheltered bus stops throughout the town.

Herman Foushee, a Chapel Hill native, former Department of Energy employee under the Carter Administration and best man at Robert Drakeford’s wedding, said that he was a born leader and leveraged his charisma to rally support and deliver his promises. 

“Bob would convince [residents] that, if you want to see some change, just come along with us,” Braxton Foushee, Carrboro’s first Black Town Council member, said.

Drakeford grew up in New York in a middle class family. His son said  he took a lot of his leadership qualities from his mother.

Robert Drakeford’s mother was instrumental in opening the first fire station in Laurinburg, and he followed in her footsteps by renovating and expanding Carrboro’s fire station in a $300,000 project in 1981. Derrick Drakeford said the fire station addition was one of his dad’s greatest professional accomplishments. 

Robert Drakeford also worked with the federal government to bring sustainable energy to Carrboro and North Carolina as a whole. 

“He was not only the mayor of Carrboro, he became a national mayor for the United States, and he was a spokesperson for energy conservation and renewable energy after that,” Herman Foushee said. 

Thanks to his friends in the federal government, like Herman Foushee, and his position as president of the North Carolina Conference of Black Mayors, Robert Drakeford was able to help rural communities all across the state. 

Despite his far reach, Herman and Braxton Foushee maintained that Robert Drakeford was “like you and me.”

“He was one of the most wholesome people you’d ever meet,” Herman Foushee said. 

Braxton Foushee chimed in, “You would never think he was a mayor.”

Robert Drakeford and his government friends weren’t all business. According to Braxton and Herman Foushee, they threw parties and went to clubs often.  Robert Drakeford loved to sing and dance.

“One night [Robert Drakeford] was on the dance floor and his heel came off his shoe, but it didn’t stop him from dancing,” Herman Foushee said. 

Herman Foushee said that Robert Drakeford wanted to be an entrepreneur, a dream which he realized in retirement when he opened up an RV park in Laurinburg. 

However, Herman Foushee said that Drakeford’s number one priority was always his family. 

“He was focused on his kids and helping them grow and develop to become the young men that they are today,” Herman Foushee said. 

Black male mentorship was also important to his father, Derrick Drakeford said. Some of his proudest moments were seeing his sons graduate college and watching Derrick Drakeford defend his dissertation at UNC. 

Robert Drakeford extended his mentorship to the children of Carrboro, Derrick Drakeford said. Through his Camping for Tomorrow initiative, Robert Drakeford took kids from low income housing communities camping for a week on the beach, where they learned how to fish and sail.

“He put a lot of confidence in me as a Black male when oftentimes we are denigrated in society, so it helped balance out what I face,” Derrick Drakeford said. 

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