howard lee, first black mayor of chapel hill
By Jair Oballe
Howard Lee was Duke’s Director of Employee Relations for Non-Academic Employees in the 1960s. After a heated election, Chapel Hill elected Lee mayor, the “first predominantly white town below the Mason-Dixon line to elect a black mayor” and the first to do so in the post-Reconstruction South.[1] After a two more terms, Lee was appointed to lead the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Community Development, then was elected to the North Carolina Senate, where he served from 1990 to 1994 and 1996 to 2002 as a champion for public education. Lee hoped to be a beacon, stating that his “successes help make it possible for other blacks and other minority groups to hold high-ranking positions.”[2]
[1]. Lee, Howard, Biographical Reference Collection 1972 - 2004 Box 17 Krzyzewski-Lincoln.
[2]. “Howard Lee: A Historical Mayoral Election,” http://docsouth.unc.edu/highlights/howard_lee.html.
[2]. “Howard Lee: A Historical Mayoral Election,” http://docsouth.unc.edu/highlights/howard_lee.html.
