CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles will be the guest of U.S. Rep. Alma Adams (NC-12) at President Biden's State of the Union Address on Tuesday, Feb. 7.
Rep. Adams' office made the announcement Monday afternoon. This is the first State of the Union since 2020 that is permitting guests to attend.
Lyles, a Democrat in her third term as mayor of Charlotte, has been praised by Congresswoman Adams for her COVID-19 relief efforts and her Racial Equity Initiative.
Mayor Lyles' Racial Equity Initiative has the aim of producing a more equitable city. The City of Charlotte has allocated $10 million in American Rescue Plan funds to help mitigate the digital divide. Over 80% of ARPA funds are being allocated to the community.
"In Charlotte, Mayor Lyles has led local recovery efforts to make sure our city and our region recover from the COVID-19 pandemic," said Rep. Adams. “However, Vi has gone a step further by centering equity and racial justice in her time as mayor, and her work with the Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative provided a clear framework to use American Rescue Plan Act funds in a way that addresses historic disparities in our community, and builds Charlotte back better than before. I am honored to invite Mayor Vi Lyles to be my guest to the State of the Union Address.”
Mayor Lyles acknowledges Adams' role in the city's ability to secure federal funding for projects.
"I feel honored and privileged to attend President Biden's State of the Union Address as a guest of Rep. Alma Adams," said Lyles. "Her exceptional leadership and unwavering support have been instrumental in securing crucial federal funding for our region, including American Rescue Plan Act funds.”
WCNC Charlotte reached out to Rep. Adams' office for a statement about the invitation. Many of Mayor Lyles priorities mirror those of Rep. Adams.
"Mayor Lyles of course has been a successful advocate for deepening our community’s investment in affordable housing, and in the most recent round of community project funding, many of the projects Rep. Adams was able to help fund were affordable housing projects," said Sam Spencer, Communications Director for Rep. Adams.
Spencer added that Lyles will be the focus of Rep. Adams' daily Black History Month feature on Tuesday, "as the first Black woman to be Pro Temp and/or Mayor."
You can watch the State of the Union address on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 9 p.m. ET.
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