| Town
Might Honor Local Legend
by Mary McGuirt
Howard Lee served
as Chapel Hill's first black mayor during
a time when separate wasn't always equal.
Now, more than 30 years later, Chapel Hill
is exploring a way to honor this pioneer.
Lee said there were a lot of odds against
him when he ran for mayor.
"The atmosphere at that time certainly
confirmed that it would not be an
easy task and that my chances of winning
were very very low," Lee said, "but
I had a very
strong commitment, believing that I should
try."
In 1969, Howard Lee decided to face the
odds against him as a black man in the South by running for
mayor of Chapel Hill.
"It was very difficult to put together
a campaign for mayor because there were a lot of naysayers," Lee
said.
But Lee proved those naysayers wrong. He
defied the odds, becoming not only
the first black mayor of Chapel Hill, but
the first black leader to be
elected in the South by a predominately white
community.
Lee's pastor for more than 25 years, Robert
Seymour remembers the night of
Lee's notable achievement.
"One of my most vivid memories of
the past is the night Howard won," Seymour
said. "Many
of us thought his running was simply symbolic
of a more liberal point of
view and that he didn't have any chance of
being elected."
But Lee was elected to serve as a mayor
for that term and two more. And Chapel Hill
changed a lot during his administration.
One of Lee's biggest accomplishments is
still a vital part
of Chapel Hill today. He developed the bus
system, making transportation available
to all members of the public. Lee was also
the first mayor to hold office in the current
town hall building on North Columbia Street.
Today, the town council is considering
a proposal to honor this legendary
leader by naming the town hall after him and his wife. Town officials met last
week to begin discussion about the renaming.
They expect to have a
decision by spring.
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