Jan. 19. Annie Brown Kennedy, an attorney who was the first Black woman to serve in the NC General Assembly, has died at the age of 98. Gov. Roy Cooper ordered all US and North Carolina flags at state facilities to fly at half-staff until sunset Friday. The Winston-Salem resident was only the second Black female attorney in the state,

She also served as the first African American female presidential elector in 1976 for the state. Gov. Jim Hunt appointed Annie Kennedy to represent NC House District 29 in 1979 to fill a vacated seat. She later represented the 66th district in North Carolina’s state House.

A plaque inside the Legislative Building in Raleigh recognizes her pioneering achievement.

Annie Brown Kennedy | WXII TV