For The Struggle is a nonprofit organization established to fight and protect against systemic injustices in Charlotte. On Thursday, members of the west Charlotte community came out to celebrate the grand opening of the organization’s first community resource center. Programs being offered will include a senior food program and a home repairs program.
A large sign is posted outside of the new office and community resource center on Beatties Ford Road for the nonprofit called For The Struggle. Not too far from the signpost, community members gathered around the organization’s founder Alesha S. Brown, as she talked about the importance of providing resources for the community.
“The Beatties Ford Road Corridor is Charlotte’s historically Black corridor, and it has been under-resourced for so very long,” Brown said. “And so, it was very important that I play some sort of role in addressing that and making sure that people have access, whether it’s digital access, access to a laptop or a computer, access to a fax machine, a printer, a scanner.”
As you walk into the center, four laptops are available for visitors. Seated near the laptops with a drum between his legs was Wali Salahuddin. He’s one of the recipients of the Elder Response Initiative, which provides free meals through the nonprofit’s Senior Feeding Program.
“Every Monday and Wednesday, they bring us hot food, salad, fruits, and vegetables. And that’s a blessing,” Salahuddin said.
The meals come from Black-owned businesses within the corridor, and as of right now, nearly 100 seniors are fed through the program. Jessica Davis and her seven-year-old son Mason Davis were among the guests mingling in the outdoor tent. Mason is part of the nonprofit’s Giving Circle initiative.
“My son wanted to make a difference,” Davis said. “So, he said, ‘I want to be a part of this’, so he takes $20 of his allowance every month, and he donates it to For The Struggle for the senior feeding program, and we’ve been doing this for about a year now.”
Since 2019, Brown has operated For The Struggle from her home. Now that there’s an operating community hub, Davis said the center can be a focal point for residents.
“This is powerful, to say the least, to have a location, a community resource center right here in the heart of Beatties Ford Road corridor, on Russell Avenue, across Northwest School of the Arts; this is huge,” Davis said. “It’s accessible, it’s on the bus line, seniors in this community can walk here, and not just seniors, but anyone that needs the resources that this nonprofit can provide.”
Another resource being offered is the critical home repairs program. Participants can receive major home repairs, free of charge. Anything from roofing, flooring, and plumbing to electrical work and energy-efficient kitchen appliances and windows. To qualify for this program, seniors who are at least 62 years old must make around $35,000 or less. Brown said she decided to include this component because of the impact of gentrification.
“Black people are losing their homes, and Black people are disproportionately impacted by the displacement that comes along with gentrification,” Brown said. “We always hear the word equity like it’s such a sexy word. Equity means we pour into the communities that haven’t been poured into; we pour into the communities that need us the most.”
To preserve the history and culture of historically Black communities, Brown said it’s vital that seniors are cherished.
“The best way to do that is to take care of our historians, and those are our seniors. We need them here; we need them to tell a story,” Brown said. “We need them to make sure that our younger generations understand what it means to live on Beatties Ford Road corridor as Charlotte’s historically Black corridor.”
The For the Struggle community center is now open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Three full-time employees, six part-time staff members, and volunteers contribute to the nonprofit’s mission with plans to expand its efforts into South Carolina in the new year.
