From the desk of the County Manager,

As 2025 inches toward the middle point of the calendar year, I was struck by a wonderful revelation during Tuesday night’s Board of County Commissioners meeting – just how lucky we are to live in Durham County!

On the agenda were four things that really stood out to me and made me think about just how great a place this is – full of diverse, thoughtful, and engaged community members.

Earlier in the day, our Public Information Office teamed up with Spectacular Magazine’s Phyllis Coley to announce the third annual Juneteenth Flag-Raising Ceremony at the Durham County Courthouse at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, June 2.

Our Board took it upon itself four years ago to make Juneteenth an official Durham County Holiday – the same year that President Joe Biden’s administration designated June 19th a Federal holiday. That was followed a year later by our first Juneteenth Flag-Raising Ceremony, an event that I am proud to say was the first in the state of North Carolina and has become a tradition for us. Many other counties have now followed suit.

Juneteenth is officially on June 19th each year and is meant to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. But more significantly, it marks the date of June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.

The flag raising marks the beginning of a month-long celebration of Black freedom and excellence that culminates in the NC Juneteenth Celebration, held annually in Durham for the past 20 years. I am honored to be among the scheduled speakers and hope to see all of you at the courthouse when the Montford Port Marines hoist the flag with help from the Durham County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard. The flag will fly at the courthouse from June 2-19.

“It is an honor to witness the Juneteenth flag rise over Durham - now for the third consecutive year – as part of our 20th Annual NC Juneteenth Celebration,” said Coley. “This tradition holds deep cultural meaning for our community. I am especially grateful to the Durham County Government and the Durham County Sheriff’s Office for their continued support. Raising the flag on the first Monday in June gives us a moment to center our celebrations in remembrance, pride, and unity. It serves as a visual reminder of the resilience, sacrifice, and enduring spirit of Black Americans.”

Also, during Tuesday night’s meeting, our Board issued two proclamations honoring Jewish American Heritage Month and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Durham County, during the month of May. It has become a regular practice of our BOCC to highlight monthly heritage and cultural celebrations and lately, led by our Office of Equitable Well-being (EWB).

EWB Director Dr. Brent Lewis talked about the importance of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month as a way to highlight this growing population in our community and show the many contributions they have made to our history, society, and culture. Currently, there are over 20,000 residents of Durham County of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage.

“The efforts and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders can be seen in every aspect of society including education, history, politics, health care, economics, and science,” Lewis said. “They have played a pivotal role in the history of the United States.”

EWB held a special AAPI Heritage Month Lunch Game Day event earlier this week for staff, testing their knowledge of AAPI individuals and their impacts in the United States.

Also, during the board meeting, our Food Security Coordinator Raina Goldstein Bunnag spoke alongside Dr. Lewis on the Board’s proclamation of Jewish American Heritage Month about her Jewish heritage and Durham County’s ongoing efforts to lift up the many diverse cultures represented within our staff and community.

“My Jewish identity has influenced my career,” she said. “In Judaism, there is a concept called Tikkun olam, which in Hebrew means to improve or to repair the world. Tikkun olum acknowledges that the world is imperfect and each of us here has the responsibility to work to do what we can to make it a better place for everyone.”

I don’t think I could come up with a better way to describe public service!

Lastly, during the Public Hearing for my Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Recommended Budget, our community came out to tell us their priorities. Not everyone had the same views and passions, but everyone’s thoughts came from a place of making our community of 300,000 residents somewhere we all can thrive – together.  There is still time to let us know your Budget priorities by taking our Resident Budget Survey.

Thank you, Durham County, for being you!

Sincerely,

Claudia Hager | County Manager