Joined by family, friends, and officials from across Guilford County, the Guilford County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) officially dedicated the Carolyn Q. Coleman Conference Room in honor of the former Commissioner during a special ceremony on Thursday, August 18, 2022.
Formerly known as the Blue Room, the space was opened to the public in 1920 and has served as a hub for county functions for the last 102 years.
“This is a very important day for a very important person to many of us. I am happy to be a part of the continuation of celebration of our friend Commissioner Carolyn Q. Coleman and all she did for our community,” BOCC Chairman Melvin “Skip” Alston said during the special ceremony. “The selection of this space holds a lot of significance. It serves as a vital community space and the heartbeat of this building. In 2012, the Board of County Commissioners committed to naming all the County’s public spaces, and yet the Blue Room was left un-dedicated as we had yet to find the right person who embodied the spirit of public service. It is an honor to name it for one of the most outstanding public servants to ever serve Guilford County.”
On February 3, 2022, the BOCC honored the innumerable and extraordinary accomplishments of Commissioner Carolyn Q. Coleman with the adoption of a resolution and acted to permanently honor her service and legacy to Guilford County by proclaiming the Blue Room, located on the first floor of the Old County Court House at 301 West Market Street in Greensboro the Carolyn Q. Coleman Conference Room with a Proclamation Adopted on April 7, 2022.
Commissioner Coleman served as a Guilford County Commissioner from December 2, 2002 until her death at the age of 79 on January 26, 2022. Commissioner Coleman’s reputation as a dynamic community leader led to a pioneering political and public service career, beginning with her work as Special Assistant for Minority Affairs to Governor Jim Hunt (1993-2001) and followed by her election to the Guilford County Board of Commissioners representing eastern Greensboro and Pleasant Garden communities in District 7 (2002-2022), during which she served as Vice Chair (2004) and was elected as the Board’s first African-American Chairwoman in 2005. She received the North Carolina Association of Black County Officials’ Fredrick Douglas Award for her work during the pandemic, including personally facilitating the county’s Feeding the Communities Program, providing 8,000 boxes of food to families in need between December 2020 and July 2021.
Commissioner Coleman’s granddaughter, Genesis Horton, shared memories of her grandmother’s life of service, organizing and supporting innumerable community efforts, and her dedication to challenging inequities from the moment she joined two other students in a sit-in demonstration in her home town of Savannah, Georgia to her work during the pandemic to feed the community. Numerous friends and community leaders shared stories about Coleman’s mentorship, generosity with her time, and ability to galvanize action, with many noting that when she set her sights on something it was best not to get in her way.
The Proclamation dedicating the Carolyn Q. Coleman Conference Room and a photo of the late Commissioner is now affixed to the first floor room, which now serves as a place for community gatherings, information sharing, and as an early voting location.
Original source can be found here.
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