Kelly Alexander, longtime state rep. for Mecklenburg County, has died

CHARLOTTE — Kelly Alexander Jr., a longtime state representative from Mecklenburg County and civil rights leader, has died, his family announced on Friday.

Alexander was first elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2008 and has served Mecklenburg County voters since then.

He served as president of the NAACP in North Carolina, and he also served on the national NAACP board. He’s the son of former NAACP chair Kelly Alexander Sr. and civil rights icon Margaret Alexander.

Alexander’s family wrote on social media that his death came as a shock on Friday.

Official statement from the Alexander Family- It is with deep sadness that the Alexander family shares the passing of...
Posted by David L. Howard on Friday, September 6, 2024

Channel 9 covered Alexander’s efforts with the Democratic Party in the legislature over the years. He advocated for affordable housing and introduced legislation to rein in corporate home buying; he also was an advocate for transparency, contributing to an investigation into the North Carolina Department of Transportation and calling for more body cameras in local police departments.

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A cause of death wasn’t given. Alexander was 75.

Channel 9 spoke to Charlotte City Council member Malcolm Graham about the passing of Kelly Alexander.

“Kelly inherited that legacy from his father and his mother, and he continued that by serving as the local president of the NAACP, served statewide, served on the National NAACP board, and was a leader throughout the city of Charlotte, and took that type of advocacy to the North Carolina General Assembly, where he advocated and represented west Charlotte,” Graham said.

(VIDEO: State Rep. Kelly Alexander speaks on NCDOT employee computer misuse)