The Gantt Center Mourns the Loss of Co-Founder Dr. Bertha Maxwell-Roddey

Dr. Roddey's legacy lives on through the countless lives she influenced by way of education, community advocacy, and the importance of preserving and celebrating Black history, arts, and culture. Dr. Roddey's vision and life's work are evident daily at the Gantt Center.

It is with great sadness that the Gantt announces the passing of Dr. Bertha Maxwell-Roddey on March 20, 2024. She was 93.

Dr. Roddey was a trailblazer early in her education career. Born in 1930 in Seneca, South Carolina, she graduated from Oconee County Training School and received a Bachelor of Arts from Johnson C. Smith University, a Master of Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a doctorate from Union Graduate School in Cincinnati, Ohio.

She worked in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system as a teacher and principal and was one of Charlotte's first Black women to serve as an administrator in a predominately white school. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, post-civil rights movement, college students held sit-ins on campuses, demanding a forum to acknowledge the rich history and contributions of Black people in this country. Campus leaders heeded the rallying cry of the students and developed a process to structure what became the Black Studies Center, now the Africana Studies Department. As an associate professor at UNC Charlotte, Dr. Roddey (née Maxwell) served as the Center's founding director and she also emphasized the importance of students giving back to the community. She also founded and served as the first chair of the National Council for Black Studies, which helped institutionalize the Black Studies field and continues to be its premier professional organization.

Along with UNC Charlotte assistant professor, Mary Harper, she cofounded the Afro-American Cultural and Service Center, now the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. Their brilliant idea, vision, and diligent work live on as the Gantt celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024.

She has served on more than 50 boards and commissions, co-founded the Theodore and Bertha M. Roddey Foundation, started the first Head Start program in Charlotte, and received numerous awards for her dedication. Some of her awards include the Thurgood Marshall Award of Education, Order of the Long Leaf Pine, Elizabeth Catlett-Delta Legacy "Women Making a Difference," and Eagle Fly Free Award from the Institute for the Advancement of Multicultural & Minority Medicine.

Dr. Roddey was a member of the Gamma Lambda Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and served as Charlotte Alumnae Chapter President, National First Vice-President, and the 20th National President. She also worked with Habitat for Humanity, leading the process of building more than 350 houses in the United States, the Caribbean, and Africa.

Her legacy lives on!

Read more about Dr. Roddey in her biography, Bertha Maxwell-Roddey: A Modern-Day Race Woman and The Power Of Black Leadership, written by Sonya Y. Ramsey, Ph.D.

Posted on Thursday, March 21, 2024

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