North Carolina NAACP defends branch president over interim mayor remarks

The North Carolina NAACP defended Charlotte-Mecklenburg branch president Corine Mack after she said it would be “seriously disturbing” for any White person to serve as interim mayor of Charlotte.

Mayor Vi Lyles announced last week that she will resign June 30. She called the post “the honor of my life.” Several local politicians are seeking the job, according to Axios.

Mack wrote on social media that a White interim mayor would undermine Black representation. “It is seriously disturbing for White folks to be lobbying to be the interim Mayor in Charlotte,” she said. “Our Mayor who recently resigned is a Black woman who is a registered Democrat. While Black representation is being undermined and stripped nationwide; White folks are either tone deaf or worse … self centered!”

She added that Black voters in Charlotte have worked to secure Black representation and warned that the City Council would face consequences if it chose a non-Black interim mayor. “Why would we replace the Black outgoing mayor with a White person? That simple,” Mack told Queen City News.

State NAACP president Deborah Maxwell said the organization stands by the local branch. “The NAACP evaluates leadership by actions, policies, and results, not by personal identity,” Maxwell said. She added that Black communities deserve leadership that delivers results and closes gaps in opportunity.