Nov. 20, 2012

They came for a five-minute announcement, and stayed for the full Forum to answer questions. They came with a message. They took many back with them.

The Forum heard today from two employees of the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Culture + Arts: Director of Advancement Tiffany L. Graham (top right in collage), and Marketing Specialist Sharon Holm (lower right).

Their message was about the upcoming 32nd Annual Jazzy Holiday Luncheon on Friday, Nov. 30 at 11:30 a.m. at the Westin Charlotte Hotel. The event is a fund-raiser for the Gantt Center, which was founded in 1974 as the Afro-American Cultural Center and was renamed to honor Charlotte’s first African-American mayor when it moved to uptown Charlotte in 2009.

Forum participants included several with first-hand knowledge of the center’s founding and early years, and they peppered the Gantt Center staffers with questions.

The two videos below capture most of the introductory comments and the Q&A that followed. A participant comment about Charlotte’s troubled history closed the session, and the second video ends with an attempt to explain the pain, loss, hurt and injustice still felt today by African-Americans who lived that history.

The Gantt staffers shared two items with the Forum: A flier about the Jazzy Holiday Luncheon, and a press release about it.

Introductory remarks and Q&A, part 1

Introductory remarks and Q&A, part 2