April 23, 2024

In spring 2020, Charlotte native Winston Robinson got to thinking: Aside from supporting his family, what would he be remembered for if COVID ended his life, too?

Earlier in his life, he’d sold stylish clothes out of his college dorm room. He’d organized an annual cookout for some friends. He had a knack for bringing people together. And now that he had put down roots inside long-overlooked neighborhoods on Charlotte’s west side….

This morning, Robinson talked with the Forum about an event Saturday that embodies his initial answer: Bring to a westside family-friendly event the organizations that struggling families might have never heard of; organizations that could launch them on the path to economic health through home ownership, could open them to employment training opportunities, could help them understand how voting is a key their being able to affect the health and future of their neighbors and neighborhood. In other words, bring the resources to where the people are comfortable, safe and empowered.

Today, Robinson is executive director of the Applesauce Group nonprofit. In a summary for the Arts & Science Council, the group wrote that, from early festivals, “we realized our approach to countering the residual damages of marginalizing policy was capable of shifting the fabric of Charlotte. Today, our mission is to continue to create platforms where people from historically excluded communities are directed towards empowerment… While we all have the time of our lives!”

Below is the video from this morning’s presentation and Q&A. Below that are two presentation files not shown during the morning’s meeting. The first is a video, which may be downloaded as an MP4 here. Below the video are the slides from a presentation file, which may be downloaded as a PDF here. The slides also appear in the video.

 

– – –