March 21, 2024

Dr. Bertha Maxwell-Roddey, a longtime Charlotte educator and community leader, died Wednesday at age 93.

Visitation is Thursday, March 28 from 10 a.m.-noon, with memorial service following at noon at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, 3400 Beatties Ford Rd. A PDF of the Celebration of Life bulletin is here (49.1MB) and here (16.6MB).

According to The South Carolina African American History Calendar, Dr. Maxwell-Roddey was born June 10, 1930 in Seneca, SC. She graduated from Oconee County Training School and received a BA from Johnson C. Smith University, an MA in education from UNC Greensboro, and a doctorate from Union Graduate School in Cincinnati, Ohio.

She was a CMS teacher and principal, and was among the first African-Americans assigned as principal to a predominately white school, Albemarle Road Elementary. She became the first chair of the Afro-American and African Studies Department at UNCC.

In The Charlotte Post, editor Herbert L. White wrote that County Commissioner Arthur Griffin “recalled Mrs. Maxwell-Roddey’s emphasis on encouraging students to think big when she was his elementary school teacher in the First Ward community.

“‘Often, her office was a place you would go to get your ‘get out of jail’ card,’ Griffin, who was also elected to Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s school board, said. ‘It was a place to reset after a difficult test or school challenge. You could always count on Bertha’s counsel, listening ear and shoulder to cry on.

“‘Finally, I give credit to Bertha’s guidance for my life’s focus on equity and equality, and for many of my personal achievements. She persuaded me to work with her and her colleague Dr. Mary Harper in setting up the Afro-American Cultural Center at Little Rock Church in Charlotte.

“‘That experience crystallized my commitment to racial justice. She opened the door for an internship and subsequent job at the Legal Aid Society. From there, I never looked back.’”

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. of which Dr. Roddey was a past national president, issued the following statement on Facebook:

“It is with deep sorrow that Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. shares the passing of our beloved 20th National President, Dr. Bertha Maxwell Roddey. Soror Roddey made her peaceful transition at the age of 93 at her home in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Dr. Roddey was a distinguished educator and prominent community leader who, along with Dr. Mary Harper, 50 years ago founded the Afro American Cultural and Service Center, now known as the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture.

“Notably, during her tenure as National President, the Sorority partnered with Habitat for Humanity to address housing insecurity. Through this partnership, members of the Sorority help build over 350 homes for families in the United States, the Caribbean, and Africa.

Glenn Burkins’ report on Dr. Maxwell-Roddey’s life, published  in QCityMetro, is here.

Catherine Muccigrosso’s report on Dr. Maxwell-Roddy’s death is in the Charlotte Observer here.

WCNC’s report this evening is below.