Chapel Hill Reflects 50 Years After Historic Election of Howard Lee

Posted May 11, 2019
Monday marked 50 years since Howard Lee became the first African American to be elected mayor of a predominately white town in the south since Reconstruction. Lee recently recounted his election as mayor of Chapel Hill when speaking with town officials. “It was not planned as much as it was accidental,” Lee said. (Chapelboro.com)

Related: Campus Connections

UNC ranks as a top college for career success
Tar Heels’ journeys don’t end when they leave Chapel Hill. Carolina graduates go on to be leaders in public health, media and entertainment, business and...
Wed Aug 5, 2026

UNC student Faith Hedgepeth's accused killer pleads not guilty, 14 years later
Miguel Salguero-Olivares pleaded not guilty on Monday to the 2012 rape and killing of North Carolina student Faith Hedgepeth. His attorney presented the plea during...
Tue Aug 4, 2026

Franklin Street: Where Stories Are Made
Serving as the front door to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since its very beginnings, Franklin Street is legendary for game days...
Mon Aug 3, 2026

Tar Heel football players get passports for Ireland
Tar Heel football players took advantage of a campus program to acquire passports ahead of the team’s season-opening game in Dublin, Ireland. Carolina’s Phillips Passport...
Sun Aug 2, 2026