A conversation of race and equity in Charlotte
In this special conversation, host Mary C. Curtis is joined by local leaders and experts at Project 658 in Charlotte to look at how far the city has come, and what still needs to happen to approve upward mobility in Charlotte.
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Matthew Desmond made his name writing a detailed, searingly blunt book about the effects of eviction on poor American families. His new book tackles an even bigger subject: Poverty, and why it persists in the U.S. despite our nation’s great wealth. And — perhaps a bit incongruously for someone who writes about the myriad ways poverty, racism and a lack of opportunity grind people down — he thinks we all fall too readily into the trap of cynicism, resignation and even despair.
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As Venezuelans flee economic and political turmoil in Latin America, they’ve quickly become the U.S.'s largest TPS community. Over the coming weeks, tens of thousands of Venezuelans in the U.S. will take their first steps toward establishing the legal right to live and work in the U.S. — at least temporarily, including 17,000 in North Carolina.
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Race and economics, equity in the physical design of our spaces, the way our various attributes influence whether we can access the basic services it takes to live a good life — here are three ongoing stories in Charlotte this fall and winter that have big implications for equity in our community, and, by extension, for you.
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Charlotte-based spoken word artist and poet Hannah Hasan is in high demand these days. She’s created and performed customized poetry for different organizations and people all over the city and across the country. For Hasan, telling people’s stories is a privilege — and what she does for a living.
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As school systems, universities and museums throughout the United States reckon with ways to present the history of slavery, three of the oldest, most historic properties in Mecklenburg County are no exception.
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Multidisciplinary artist Irisol González Vega will make her cinematic debut, premiering her first short film at Charlotte’s Independent Picture House on Friday, Sept. 8.
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There are few bigger worries than displacement and gentrification for many neighborhoods in Charlotte, a city with a well-known fondness for bulldozers, cranes and shiny new buildings. And as traditionally low-income, majority-Black neighborhoods around uptown experience some of the most dramatic changes and skyrocketing real estate prices, that’s led local politicians to focus intensely on avoiding, or at least mitigating, some of the impacts.
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Latino workers earned 78 cents on the dollar compared to the national average over the past year. But they’re also making economic gains. That’s according to an analysis by Well Fargo Economics, unveiled last week by the Latin American Chamber of Commerce Charlotte.
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Project Scientist started in 2011 in the Charlotte house of founder Sandy Marshall, who hosted math and science summer programs for girls. The nonprofit provides after-school programs and summer camps built around science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and now directly serves about 5,000 girls in North Carolina, California, Minnesota and Texas. Project Scientist even has clubs in Mexico. Meet its new CEO, Patrice Johnson.
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Almost 15 years ago, Charlotte’s civic leaders and neighborhood activists created the Renaissance West Community Initiative with the vision of revitalizing a west Charlotte neighborhood through an education village approach. Research shows the connection between stable housing and educational success.
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We take a look back at several key points in Charlotte’s LGBT history. The city of Charlotte published a timeline recently that includes some of these events; you can also find a trove of recorded interviews online at UNC Charlotte with LGBT activists and residents if you want to hear firsthand what it was like growing up and living as a gay person in Charlotte in previous decades.
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Abel Cruz is part of the H-2A program, through which the government issues temporary visas to 370,000 people, mostly from Mexico, to work in the U.S. in agriculture. North Carolina ranks fifth nationally for the number of workers on seasonal H-2A work visas, with about 15,000 laboring under the sun in fields of ripening tobacco, cotton, soybeans and more. Thousands more workers are undocumented.
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Charlotte-based nonprofit Circle de Luz is celebrating its 15th year with a coming-of-age party — a quinceañera ball. The organization is dedicated to getting more Latina girls on track for college.
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Nadine Ford is a swim coach and the executive director of Evolutionary Aquatics — a primarily Black swim club dedicated to teaching adults how to swim. It also provides a space where Black people can talk about issues that affect them.
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Charlotte’s Independent Picture House will screen a series of award-winning and hard-to-find Latin American films starting later this month.
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“Exclusionary zoning” reared its head again this week at a City Council committee meeting, the latest in an ongoing fight about how Charlotte should grow and who should be allowed, or able, to live where under new development rules that would allow duplexes and triplexes throughout the city.
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Charlotte Pride returns later this month, but festivities start unofficially this weekend with a uniquely Latin American — and Charlottean — event. East Charlotte’s VisArt will host a tribute night this Saturday in celebration of one of Latin America’s most beloved LGBTQ+ icons, Juan Gabriel, known by fans as JuanGa.
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Charlotte Water conducts more than 170,000 tests a year for contaminants from fecal bacteria to heavy metals, and sends customers annual reports. But if you’re on well water, it’s a different story. You’re responsible for testing to ensure and maintain the safety of the water flowing from your tap. And a new study released Monday by UNC-Chapel Hill finds that there are big disparities in income and race between well-users when it comes to safety and contamination.
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Candidate filing for this year’s municipal elections has wrapped up, setting the stage for local contests that will determine who sits on the school board, the Charlotte City Council, the mayor’s chair and other town boards. A $2.5 billion bond issue for school construction will also be on the ballot, along with $1.5 billion for other county projects. And in the end, it’s likely that fewer than 1 in 5 voters will turn out in Mecklenburg County.
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The annual gathering kicks off Sunday at noon in Charlotte. It is held the last week of July to mark Peru’s independence from the Spanish Empire.
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It’s striking how many of Charlotte’s local policy debates are still wrapped up in the language of economic mobility. Whether it’s transit and transportation, disparities in the school system, or racial inequities in housing, that’s how you’ll likely hear the questions framed. The latest: In the discussion about a developer seeking public subsidies for a new tennis complex, the sports arena has largely been portrayed as a tool to help low-income communities and children.
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Some academics say helping low-income residents buy their own cars, or have access to cars, is a good way to improve economic mobility. Charlotte leaders are focusing instead on boosting the city's transit system.