City of Charlotte, NC Legacy Commission, 8 Mar 2023

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From YouTube: The City of Charlotte's Legacy Commission

Description

The City of Charlotte is commemorating the work of the city’s Legacy Commission through a documentary film about the commission's work.

This Loyd Visuals film exhibits the year-long effort to rename nine streets in Charlotte that honored slave owners, champions of the Confederacy and proponents of white supremacy.

The documentary also showcases the work of the City of Charlotte, in collaboration with the Legacy Commission and our community to reflect our city's values of inclusivity and diversity. This work began with the mayor’s charge to form a Legacy Commission, which has evolved and come full circle thanks to our community.

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Commemoration is about the present.

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We choose to honor someone with putting up a statue or naming a street or school.

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Because they embody some value that we honor,, that we celebrate.

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And so many of the street names here.

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Don't reflect the values that we hold today.

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Stonewall and barringer, jefferson, davis and others,.

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These individuals promoted hatred and racism and discrimination.

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And so, as I sit here as a council member looking at charlotte.

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And how progressive it should be,, it makes me more determined to ensure.

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That we, as a community, begin to honor those individuals.

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That reflect our morals and values as we move forward.

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Today is about unifying our city.

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We know that this represents positive change.

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We know that it represents the willingness to examine who we are and to move forward.

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And we wanted to demonstrate that as a city,, we were supportive.

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Of a lot of the things that were being voiced in the street.

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We stand, united, we fall, united, we stand, united, we fall, united, we stand, united, we fall, united, we stand, united. We fall.

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I was heartbroken when I saw that the tape of george floyd's death,.

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I was heartbroken when I saw the killing of the the gentleman in minnesota.

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Or the young man jogging and was run down and killed.

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The issue in our community and our nation of racism.

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And hatred and discrimination is real.

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And we were having this discussion about, we need to make changes.

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Right. and the mayor in her wisdom, say, well, on this, make sure that we have a process so that we can have community buy in.

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We didn't want to create something that people would be against.

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We wanted to create a momentum for.

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and in that respect, I was able.

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To appoint the legacy commission.-.

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So I'm going to go ahead and get started.. It's a rather long, presentation.

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The commission of individuals who understood charlotte's.

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History, historians, residents, scholars identifying streets.

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That bear names that we might want to take a look at.

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Jefferson davis street, named for the president.

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Of the confederate states of america from 1861 to 1865.

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A lot of changes they made throughout charlotte, period., so I'm glad they're actually starting with the street name, changes and stuff like that in these different areas.

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Phifer avenue. one of the largest slave owners in the city.

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He hosted the last meeting of the confederate cabinet.

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Cameron, a morrison, was a prominent leader of the red shirts that worked.

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To suppress and terrorize black voters in north carolina.

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In the late 1890s.

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Aycock lane., he was a primary architect of the state's white supremacy movement.

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Stonewall street and jackson avenue.

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Were named for thomas stonewall, jackson,.

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The confederate general.

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This robust community engagement, where we're going out.

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To these various communities, access them, their preference in terms of street.

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Names for me to get involved with this was a great opportunity.

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When I heard about it., I went and made my own little flyer and went door to door on jefferson davis.

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Street to say, hey, they're having a meeting about the change, that's going to happen to the city.

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Will provide the historical context on barringer drive.

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And my back story has been prioritized.

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and then we'll provide the implementation schedule for your information.

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And for feedback.

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The recommendations that the legacy commission made was informed.

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By the feedback we had received from almost 1500 residents.

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A team of us canvass door to door to collect ballots, answered questions or encourage voting.

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Are you familiar with the possible renaming of jackson, avenue?.

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Yeah. we allowed everybody to submit three choices and rank their choices.

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We review the names,, I submit them to the committees and we approve based on what the neighborhood suggests.

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One or two streets at a time. engage the people who live on those streets and engage the businesses that are located on the streets to help them through that transition period of having your street name change.

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And get a sense of what a new name that people can embrace and be proud of, would be.

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It means preserving something.

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That other people can.

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Find out about with pride.

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My community was good samaritan.

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Good samaritan was the oldest hospital for people of color in north carolina.

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We had black doctors, surgeons, urologists, pediatricians,.

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And it was an important icon in the charlotte.

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Community., it's.

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Also an emotional thing to look at that sign and remember some of the things that good samaritan.

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Stood for and did for, the community.

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Feel like it's a different outlook,, replacing the old history,.

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The bad or whatever., and just kind of bringing like a new light in this area,, today's unveiling.

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Represents positive change and a step in the right, direction.

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This is a reminder that we are dedicated to reimagining civic spaces.

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And creating new symbolic mascot that all charlotteans can be proud, of.

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And that's why we will rename the street druid hills, way.

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I, like the change., we had the first house up on ... at the end of the street, 2401.

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When we were growing up, teenagers, we would say “wow.

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They named this street jefferson davis in the black neighborhood.

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Initially, when it was built,, it was built for gis that were coming home from the war.. So it was a primarily white neighborhood.

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and then, as time went on, it transitioned and it became a primarily.

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African-American community.

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And imagine someone who was opposed.

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To your free existence,.

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Honored up there in the street., so that is the first name that got changed.

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Any neighborhood leaders here? well lets..., come on. to make that change.

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I think it's just indicative of the changes that are happening in the city, where people are not afraid to speak, up. they're, not afraid to voice their opinion and say, hey,. This is wrong.

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and we know that's how it was done in the past., but things change and societal views. Change.

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As a historian,, I look at some of the big mistakes we've made over time,, but one that comes immediately to mind is demolition of the brooklyn neighborhood and urban renewal.

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And that's one of the great tragedies of charlotte, is the flattening.

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Of that neighborhood, without listening to the people, involved.

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A lot of historians talk a lot about the place.

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Brooklyn was more than just a place.: brooklyn was a lifestyle.

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brooklyn had a soul., and we absolutely appreciate all of the work. That's gone into, trying to keep those memories. Alive.

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Let me begin by telling you that it's an honor to be here this morning to celebrate this historic occasion.

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A paid tribute to the african american hero,, the montford point, marines.

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We applaud the city of charlotte with the purpose of honoring trailblazers.

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Who dare to want to be a marine at a time when african-americans.

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Were excluded from the marine corps.

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It's valuable that our stories are told.

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So that people can learn and understand.

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Our paths and where we have come from.

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I think those are the kinds of names.

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And the kinds of individuals we need to celebrate because they reflect.

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The hard work that we need to do now to build a more inclusive, city.

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We're a large metropolitan area where the 15th largest city in the country.

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And that's why I think it's really important for the city of charlotte.

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To acknowledge its past and try to provide.

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Corrective action as we move forward.

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We are a diverse city and we want everyone to feel respected.

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The generations that follow us should look back and say,. You did the right, thing.

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She laid the foundation for the next step.