Cabarrus commissioner says Juneteenth is ‘based on a lie,’ drawing backlash
A Cabarrus County commissioner’s remarks calling Juneteenth “a lie” are spreading online and drawing criticism days before the federal holiday.
Commissioner Larry Pittman, the lone vote against a Juneteenth proclamation approved Monday by the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners, used his closing comments later in the meeting to explain his opposition to the holiday. In doing so, he argued Juneteenth is based on a false understanding of history and sparred with an audience member during a tense exchange.
“I don’t support it, because it is based on a lie,” Pittman said.
The comments have gained attention online after a video clip from the meeting began circulating on social media, with critics condemning Pittman’s characterization of Juneteenth. The controversy is not Pittman’s first. As a state lawmaker, he drew widespread criticism for comments defending the Confederacy, including a 2017 post comparing Abraham Lincoln to Adolf Hitler and later remarks describing Lincoln as a “traitor” and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as a patriot.
During Monday’s board comments, Pittman said enslaved people were not freed by President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and argued Juneteenth incorrectly attributes emancipation to events that occurred in Texas on June 19, 1865. Pittman said the holiday should instead recognize the ratification of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery nationwide later that year.
Pittman said he opposes supporting “anything based on a lie” and criticized what he described as inaccurate historical narratives.
“True history is important,” Pittman said, “not what an elitist point of view forces to be taught in schools and ignores the real truth of what happened.”
The meeting then grew tense when an audience member appeared to interrupt.
“Hey, it is not your turn, sir,” Pittman responded.
Pittman continued speaking, saying his son earned a history degree from Wingate University and confirmed his understanding of the holiday’s origins.
“It makes me sick, what passes for history that is falsehood, and I will not just sit by and take it,” Pittman said.
After his comments, Pittman engaged in a back-and-forth with an audience member, calling the person “boy.”
The term “boy” has historically been used as a racial insult toward Black men, particularly in the Jim Crow South, and its use has long been viewed as offensive in that context.
“Boy? What do you mean, boy?” the man asked.
“I mean, you act immature,” Pittman replied.
Pittman apologized to the man later in the evening, saying he should have asked the chair to call for order rather than “fussing.”
Cabarrus County proclamation
Earlier in the meeting, commissioners approved a proclamation recognizing June 19 as Juneteenth throughout Cabarrus County. The proclamation was read by Sabrina Berry, western regional coordinator for the Frederick Douglass Foundation of North Carolina.
The proclamation states that Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed enslaved African Americans there that they were free, more than two years after Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
It describes Juneteenth as a day of “profound historical significance” and honors Lincoln, Union soldiers, abolitionists, legislators and Black leaders including Frederick Douglass.
“Today the Cabarrus County Republican Party and The Frederick Douglas Foundation rejects all modern forms of human trafficking and exploitation and affirms that every resident of this county deserves the full and equal pursuit of happiness under the law,” the proclamation states.
The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when Granger issued General Order No. 3 in Texas, announcing that enslaved people there were free. Historians generally recognize the date as commemorating the arrival of news of emancipation to enslaved people in Texas and the effective end of slavery in the former Confederacy. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.
Pittman was the only commissioner to vote against the proclamation Monday. Commissioners Laura Lindsey, Ian Patrick, Jeff Jones and Kenny Wortman voted in favor. His vote drew criticism from audience members even before his comments.
“It warms my heart, Mr. Pittman, that you would vote against our Juneteenth resolution,” one speaker, Justin Lewter, said sarcastically during public comment. “The Confederacy lost once, and every time you vote against it, it loses again.”
Another speaker called for Pittman to explain himself.
“What’s the issue you have with Juneteenth? 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.
This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Cabarrus commissioner says Juneteenth is ‘based on a lie,’ drawing backlash."
