‘A force in this city.’ Gone at 22, Joel Odom was the young champion of Beatties Ford
Joel Odom Jr. ran for mayor in Charlotte, graduated high school, held public officials accountable and effected change in his community — all while under the age of 22.
Odom, who ran against Mayor Vi Lyles in 2019, was found dead at his home by his father on Thursday, according to family. Details about his death are unclear. His family is waiting for results from an autopsy.
Odom was the youngest candidate in the mayoral primary in the last election. He only turned 21, the minimum age to hold office, a month before Election Day.
Odom told the Observer then he was motivated to run by seeing “so many young people dying on the street.”
Lucille Puckett, a community activist who also ran for mayor in 2019, developed a deep bond with Odom, who went to high school with Puckett’s daughter. Puckett said despite being opponents, Odom stayed in close contact with her throughout the mayoral race and afterward.
“We used to have conversations until 1 or 2 a.m. He had so much on his mind,” Puckett said. “To say that one day, he’d be president of the United States… that wasn’t unthinkable for Joel. He felt like there was nothing impossible, like he could reach the sky — and he’d take you there with him.”
A champion for Beatties Ford
Odom was raised by family in the Beatties Ford community after his mother died when he was eight. That’s where Odom’s political ambitions originated and grew.
His mayoral platform focused on jobs, education, affordable housing, public safety, and expanding opportunity for everybody, and he said in 2019 that five of his friends had been murdered within a span of six months.
“Not only have I learned the issues, I’ve lived the issues,” he said.
Kendrick Cunningham, community organizer and city council candidate, met Odom at a political forum a few years ago and never forgot his fire. Cunningham says it’s due in large part to his love of his community.
“If you’re from Charlotte and you live on West Boulevard or any of our historic communities, you have a different love and respect for our city. We have to work harder to live where we live and take everybody’s mess talking about it,” Cunningham said.
“He has that understanding of how beautiful Charlotte really is, especially from the working class respect. He embodied those values. That’s why he fought as hard as he did.”
Years ago, Odom joined the Boy Scouts, which gave him motivation and brought him a “different kind of joy,” he said in a Charlotte Observer article from 2015 about the Scouts. It’s where he learned how to fish, cook, and tie knots. And Odom was an avid churchgoer. He went to two different churches on Sundays sometimes — including his own, St. Paul Baptist Church.
Just a few months ago, Odom attended a ceremony that announced a new development on Beatties Ford Road. His hand remained raised throughout the question portion of the meeting, and when he wasn’t called on, he approached public officials afterward, determined to get answers.
Odom was concerned about development in Beatties Ford and transparency from city officials — in a quickly gentrifying Charlotte. It was his family and neighbors that would be affected most harshly.
Corine Mack, Charlotte NAACP president, said Odom’s age and personality made him fearless, and not only is his death a personal blow, but a blow to the “entire Charlotte community.”
“He was passionate beyond many, in particular around Beatties Ford corridor and what had to happen there to make sure their future was viable,” she said. “Joel wanted to be a voice for the people, and that’s not an easy decision to make.”
Mack said despite the risks activists face by being on the front lines and questioning authorities, Odom wasn’t afraid.
“I know that he was young, but he had an old soul. Some people are just born to be leaders. I believe he was one of them,” she said.
“All Joel ever wanted, like any other activist, was that his community was treated justly. It’s a missed opportunity for our city, losing him.”
‘All he did was smile’
It’s hard to imagine a person in Charlotte that Odom didn’t know, Puckett said.
Growing up, Odom’s grandmother Pamela Dooley and great-grandmother Vera Williams said he never met a stranger. And while on the campaign trail, he made it his mission to connect with as many Charlotteans as possible.
His social media pages show the results, where there’s an outpouring of love, in messages and pictures.
Odom approached Annette Albright a few years ago after a forum where she was a candidate for school board. She wasn’t feeling confident as one of the lesser-known names on the ticket when Odom came up to her with his big smile.
“He said that he loved my platform and that I was amazing. He was just so encouraging to me,” she said. “And when he told me how old he was, I just couldn’t believe it.”
His age deterred him during his mayoral campaign — some people declined to support him because of it. But Odom didn’t lose hope.
“He didn’t let anyone stop him from what he wanted to do and what he knew he could do,” Puckett said. “That’s something I’ll always remember about him.”
Albright said she hopes his legacy inspires in the young Black children of Charlotte.
“He was going to be a force in this city and the political landscape of Charlotte,” she said. “How can we encourage young Black males and youth to use their voices to carry on his legacy?”
Puckett, who lost her own son to gun violence in 2016, said it was important that a young Black man like Odom was inspiring other youth.
“He said to young men that they don’t have to be part of the negative statistics,” she said. “That we can make a difference and change in Charlotte, wherever our feet will take us.”
Despite losing his mother so young, Odom was overwhelmingly positive, Puckett said.
“When people would say, ‘Joel your mother would be so proud of you,’ that’s what he wanted more than anything else in the world,” Puckett said. “That smile couldn’t fit in the room. And I know he’s somewhere smiling now.”
A lasting legacy
Puckett can’t help but smile herself.
“It’s a sad occasion, but when you think about Joel if you have memories of him… it brings a smile to your face,” she said. “That saying, that an angel got their wings? There couldn’t be a truer statement.”
Dooley and Williams are still heartbroken over their loss — but are staying strong by thinking of the impact Odom had on the people around him.
“He was just a loving person. Nothing bad could ever be said about him,” Dooley said. “And there’s so much nice stuff people have written and said on Facebook. It’s just overwhelming and beautiful.”
Puckett heard the news of Odom’s death last week, when she visited Williams’ home where Odom spent several years of his childhood. She asked for Odom, and when Williams said he wasn’t there anymore, Puckett said she felt like the breath had been knocked out of her.
Just a few days ago, they had one of their late-night calls.
“If I would have known that would have been the last time I spoke to Joel, I’d be talking to him right now,” she said. “I would have never let him hang up that phone.”
Alison Kuznitz contributed to this story.
This story was originally published March 2, 2021 at 12:15 PM.
