NANNIE POTTS GAVE A VOICE TO THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY

Nannie Potts was the first female mayor of Cornelius and the only African-American mayor.

She was a devoted church worker at Torrence Chapel AME Zion, a political figure with whom future mayors sought counsel, she grew up on a farm near Hoke Lumber in Davidson and passed away in 2018 after a lifetime of community service.

A new road named in her honor is under construction now. Nannie Potts Lane will connect Hwy. 21 to Smith Circle about a half mile south of Catawba Avenue. The new road will be completed later this year.

Nannie Potts was born in 1938, the year before black opera singer Marian Anderson performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, having been denied permission to sing at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. Politicians suggested that this was the end to racism and bigotry in America.

But a quarter century later, as a student at historically black Barber Scotia College, Nannie participated in sit-ins at the Belk Department Store and three other lunch counters in Concord.

According to the Global Nonviolent Action Base, “students organized pray-ins, where the black students gathered for prayer in public areas and places reserved for whites.”

After college, Nannie plunged into a life of family, teaching school, volunteerism and politics.

She was elected to the Town Board in 1983, giving a voice to the African American community that is centered in Smithville.

As top vote-getter on the Town Board, she was mayor pro tem, and when the mayor suddenly resigned, she became mayor.

She was known for honesty, compassion and intellect. Other politicians sought out her advice and counsel.

She received numerous awards and honors for her leadership and community activism, including the Business Today Top Women Award in 2015.

Her husband Mickey owns Potts Barber Shop in downtown Cornelius.