Charlotte Happenings is your monthly guide to events and things to do in and around Charlotte, NC.
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EDUCATION In the course of her remarkable career as an educator and advocate, Dr. Bertha Maxwell-Roddey has been a trailblazer in the secondary education, academia, civic, non-profit, and business sectors in Charlotte and throughout the country. In the 1960s, Dr. Maxwell-Roddey served as a teacher in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) system as it grappled with efforts to desegregate during the post-Brown v. Board of Education and pre-Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education era. In 1968, she became the first African-American woman to serve as a CMS principal at Albemarle Road Elementary School, then a predominately white school. During this time, her visionary leadership also helped pioneer Charlotte's first Head Start program—an early childhood education initiative developed in 1965 to serve low- income preschool-age children and their families. Following her career as a teacher and administrator in CMS, Dr. Maxwell- Roddey joined the faculty of UNC Charlotte during the 1969-1970 academic year. Throughout her 16-year tenure as a professor at UNCC, she was instrumental in establishing the Black Studies program and served as its director for more than a decade. By the mid-1970s, Dr. Maxwell- Roddey was christened the "Mother of the Black Studies Movement" because of her efforts to formalize Black Studies as an academic field. More specifically, she galvanized African and African- American scholars from across the country to convene a meeting in Charlotte about the state of Black Studies. The historic meeting led to the formation of the National Council of Black Studies (NCBS), which continues to stand as the foremost professional organization and global network for Black Studies scholars. Dr. Maxwell-Roddey was tireless in her pursuit to ensure African and African- American history and culture were part of Charlotte's academic and cultural enterprises. Indeed, in 1974, she co- founded the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture (formerly known as the Afro-American Cultural Center). In addition to her work as an institution builder, she served on more than 50 boards of directors and commissions, including regional and national leadership roles within Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. In honor of Dr. Maxwell-Roddey's service to Charlotte and indelible imprint on the field of Black Studies, the Africana Studies Department at UNCC inaugurated The Annual Dr. Bertha Maxwell-Roddey Distinguished Lecture series in 2008. Charlotte's pantheon of business leaders, public servants, advocates and educators is as rich as it is diverse. As we celebrate Black History month, profiles of Thaddeus Tate, Fred and Kelly Alexander, Harvey Gantt and Dr. Bertha Maxwell-Roddey are examples of the diligent hands and enterprising minds that helped cultivate the Queen City. Above all, their stories are enduring reminders of the sturdy shoulders on which we stand. n DR. BERTHA MAXWELL-RODDEY PHOTO COURTESY OF LEVINE MUSEUM OF THE NEW SOUTH FEBRUARY 2017 53