Horace Johnson

Horace Johnson, Sr., a prominent Black citizen of Orange County, served as the first and only Black mayor of Hillsborough from 1989-2001. Prior to that, he was on the Hillsborough Town Board from 1977 to 1989.

Johnson was also the first Black person in Hillsborough to send his children to a predominantly white school at a time when North Carolina schools were still practicing segregation. The Brown vs. Board of Education case desegregated schools in 1954 but many southern states, including North Carolina, had not yet begun to implement this policy. Even though segregation, which was a separation of races in places like diners, buses, and even at water fountains, was outlawed, schools like River Park Elementary were still racially separated because of the influence of social prejudice and fear.

In 1969, Johnson led a selective buying protest against businesses that practiced segregation. He led many other protests and fought for racial equality, which led to his life being threatened by the Ku Klux Klan on multiple occasions. “I had the [bulletproof] vest on, and I was praying, ‘Lord, if anything happens, don’t let it be to my wife and kids,” Johnson stated in relation to a protest he had participated in that had led to one of the multiple attempts on his life.

Even so, he refused to stop advocating for equality and justice. His challenges to segregation infuriated some members of the town, mostly white supremacists who attempted to counter his activism by saying that Johnson and other Civil Rights activists were being racially divisive towards white people. Johnson once said to school officials, “who are you lying to? Are you lying to us, or to yourself?” His actions forced the school to confront their racial bias.

Local residents have seen Horace Johnson at places such as Weaver Street Market in downtown Hillsborough and the Passmore Center, talking about local history and telling fascinating stories about days gone by. He has done this for years and continues to do so still. Even though he is no longer mayor, Horace Johnson still continues to be an active member of our community who has made great changes for our town.