Jan. 17, 2022

Today’s WBTV special report on the day of a COVID-truncated MLK Day celebration focused on the civil rights leader’s impact on Charlotte. The hour-long report is at the WBTV website here.

At one point, reporter Dedrick Russell quizzed four African-Americans now in Charlotte leadership positions about how King’s work had influenced their agendas. He asked about their disappointments in Charlotte’s efforts to advance King’s dream toward reality. In the excerpt below, Mayor Vi Lyles and District Attorney Spencer Merriweather respond.