Cabarrus County Commissioner Larry Pittman Calls Juneteenth ‘Based on a Lie,’ Sparks Backlash

On Monday, the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners voted to adopt a proclamation recognizing June 19 as Juneteenth. Larry Pittman, the board’s sole dissenting vote, used his closing remarks to declare he does not support the holiday because he believes it rests on a false premise. He claimed enslaved people were not freed by the Emancipation Proclamation and suggested the day should instead honor the ratification of the 13th Amendment.

Charlotte Observer

Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, announcing that enslaved people there were free—more than two years after Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Historians view the date as the effective end of slavery in the Confederacy. The holiday became a federal observance in 2021. Cabarrus County’s proclamation, read by Sabrina Berry of the Frederick Douglass Foundation of North Carolina, described Juneteenth as a “day of profound historical significance” and honored Lincoln, Union soldiers, abolitionists, legislators, and Black leaders including Frederick Douglass.

Charlotte Observer

Key actors include Commissioner Larry Pittman; fellow commissioners Laura Lindsey, Ian Patrick, Jeff Jones, and Kenny Wortman, who voted for the proclamation; Sabrina Berry, who read the proclamation; and audience member Justin Lewter, who publicly challenged Pittman.

Charlotte Observer

The proclamation affirmed Juneteenth’s significance and honored Union forces and Black leaders. After the meeting, Pittman apologized, saying he should have asked the chair to call for order rather than “fussing.” The board’s vote (four in favor, one against) adopted the holiday for Cabarrus County.

Charlotte Observer

Audience members confronted Pittman, with one saying, “It warms my heart, Mr. Pittman, that you would vote against our Juneteenth resolution,” and adding, “The Confederacy lost once, and every time you vote against it, it loses again.” The term “boy” used in the exchange was identified as a historic racial slur. Critics condemned Pittman’s labeling of Juneteenth as a lie and noted his prior pro-Confederate statements.

Charlotte Observer

Pittman asserts that enslaved people were not freed by Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and that Juneteenth misattributes emancipation. Historians, as reflected in the proclamation, recognize Juneteenth as the day news of emancipation reached Texas, marking the effective end of slavery. The article provides no independent verification of Pittman’s claim, leaving the dispute unresolved.

Charlotte Observer

• “I don’t support it, because it is based on a lie,” — Larry Pittman, Cabarrus County commissioner

Charlotte Observer

• “True history is important,” — Larry Pittman

Charlotte Observer

• “It makes me sick, what passes for history that is falsehood, and I will not just sit by and take it,” — Larry Pittman

Charlotte Observer

• “Make that plain too, and say it in the streets, to the press, and let’s be real about what’s going on with our history and the division in this country,” Brendan O’Connor said.” — Brendan O’Connor

Charlotte Observer