Prince William County Mayor VI Lyles said in a statement that Alexander’s work will continue after he dies.
His family says that North Carolina State Rep. Kelly Alexander Jr. died on September 6. He had been in the senate for most of the last 20 years.
WRAL says Alexander was president of the North Carolina NAACP and a dedicated activist before he started a second job in politics in 2008. Alexander did what his father, Kelly Alexander Sr., did. In 1984, Alexander Sr. became the chairman of the national NAACP after being the head of the North Carolina chapter from 1948 to 1984.
The family said in a statement that they were shocked by the death of the 75-year-old.
“Kelly’s unwavering dedication to his city, district, state, and this country has been deep and sincere over the years,” his family said in a statement on August 6. “We are shocked by this loss, and we ask the public to please give us space while we deal with it. In the coming days, we plan to celebrate his life.”
North Carolina leaders also had good things to say about Alexander.
Rep. Robert Reives of Chatham County said in a statement that he saw Alexander as a good teacher.
“Kelly was a great guide for me from the first day I walked into the General Assembly,” Reives wrote. At the Legislative Building in Raleigh many late nights, we talked about life and politics. He taught me a lot. He always talked about what was to come and how North Carolina could keep getting better.
Alexander worked alone for years for marijuana legalization, which he finally got support for in early 2024. He was known for his work to fight poverty and improve the criminal justice system.
As House Speaker in North Carolina in the early 2010s, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis said that Alexander was a big part of making North Carolina the first state to pay people who were sterilized by the state in the 20th century.
“Rep. Kelly Alexander’s death makes me very sad.” It was a pleasure to work with him at the NCGA, and he was a big part of getting North Carolina to be the first state in the country to pay eugenics victims. When things get hard, Susan and I pray for his family, Sen. Tillis wrote on X.
The Associated Press reports that Alexander quit the senate in December 2023. He told a radio station that his health problems would make it hard for him to run for office again in 2024.
The Democrats in the Charlotte area will choose someone to finish Alexander’s term until the end of 2024. The funeral services for the late Rep. Alexander have not been set in stone yet.
Prince William County Mayor VI Lyles said in a statement that Alexander’s work will continue after he dies.
“Charlotte is saddened by the death of Kelly M. Alexander, who was a strong member of our community.” As the head of Alexander Funeral Home, he helped a lot of people feel better. Kelly was a civil rights hero who became president of the NC NAACP like his father had done before him. He also worked hard for equality. As a fellow UNC Chapel Hill government graduate, Lyles wrote, “I saw how much he cared about doing good in the community.”
He went on to say, “His service, kindness, and fight for justice will always inspire our city.” My thoughts are with his family, friends, and everyone whose life he touched.