Taylor Adams represents NC at Cherry Blossom Program

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Taylor Adams, a Charlotte native and UNC Charlotte graduate, is North Carolina's representiative at the Cherry Blossom Program in Washington, D.C.

Charlotte native Taylor Adams is representing North Carolina in the Cherry Blossom Program.

The initiative, which is connected to the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., selects one delegate from each state to participate in a week of educational and professional opportunities April 4-11.

Representatives are selected by their state society through an application process based on community involvement, leadership qualities and academic accomplishments.

Adams is one of the few Black representatives from North Carolina in recent years and taking the opportunity to bring her Charlotte roots to Washington.

“I think it's really important for us to hone in on where we come from and what really makes North Carolina, North Carolina,” she said.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Tokyo, Japan, Mayor Yukio Ozaki to the city of Washington as a gesture of friendship between the countries.  On March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two trees on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park.

In 1915, the U.S. reciprocated with flowering dogwood trees – North Carolina's official flower – as a gift to Japan. 

Although the Cherry Blossom Program is not a pageant, the weeklong event concludes with a delegate crowned Cherry Blossom Queen through the traditional spinning of a wheel.
The program takes place across Washington, with past events held at venues like the National Press Club.

Adams is a graduate of UNC Charlotte and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She is an administrative assistant in the Charlotte office of U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, where she helps with constituent services and office operations. They are not related.

Taylor Adams said growing up her parents instilled in her the importance of community and service from a young age. She is involved with the Young Black Leadership Alliance and volunteers at the nonprofit Common Heart.

Adams’ family’s ties to the Charlotte’s Brooklyn neighborhood inspired her to educate others about knowing their history, especially in a city that continues to grow and change.

“We need to really stand for not getting rid of historic landmarks and preserving the history of where our city started from,” she said. “It's nice that it's growing, but I think it's important for us to always look back at where we come from and never forget that.”

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