Oct. 24, 2023 It was a small crowd that attended or listened to this morning's Forum. But a wide variety of issues were aired. If there was news made, it might have been that a last-minute inform-the-voters effort is under way to shore up support for the school bonds. The District 6 City Council ... Continue Reading →
‘Disappointed’ … ‘Enraged’: Views shared on sea change in N.C. political landscape
April 11, 2023 Some people in the room had lent their support to Tricia Cotham when she ran for the N.C. House as a Democrat. Some of the people were part of organizations that endorsed her bid, and supported her platform as a Democrat. The emotions created by the announcement last week that ... Continue Reading →
Steve Crump shares his latest documentary
April 4, 2023 Video documentarian Steve Crump had asked that the Forum today share with Forum participants his latest work: "Andrew Young's Datelines of Protest." On his way to the hospital for observation this morning, he called to say, can't be there but go ahead and share. That's Steve ... Continue Reading →
History doesn’t make people; People make history
Feb. 1, 2023 “Black history is a lifetime. It is not a month. Stop letting other people control the narrative.” – Forum participant Gary Marion Jan. 24, 2023 Perhaps there is no middle way between the stout defenders of Black History Month and Gary Marion's ... Continue Reading →
Black experiences inside the Charlotte media
Feb. 15, 2022 An earlier generation might have called them “members of the press.” The earth-shaking monsters of lead, metal, ink and paper of old have mostly gone silent; the dominant forms of dissemination of news are now broadcast, via radio and television, and dominating outreach to younger ... Continue Reading →
40th anniversary of an MLK Day: A retrospective
Jan. 17, 2022 One of the key turns in an ever-changing Charlotte celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day occurred 40 years ago. And one of the architects of that turn took time out this year to piece together a retrospective of the 1982 MLK Day Observance. Ken Koontz pieced together clippings, ... Continue Reading →
New name, same mission: Sarah Stevenson Tuesday Forum
Jan. 4, 2022 Sarah Stevenson Tuesday Forum. Facilitators this morning announced their November decision to re-brand the community group that's been known over the years as a club and a forum but chiefly as the place where one strong woman insisted that people could get along and, by golly, they ... Continue Reading →
‘There is no guarantee’
By Ken Koontz I am voting because the right to do so was not initially given automatically or granted Constitutionally. Voting, for citizens like me, came as result of demand from, murders of and bloodshed by people like me and our allies and there is no guarantee that it can’t be ... Continue Reading →
Open Forum draws commentary, calls for action
April 30, 2019 Neighborhoods that are hurting. Avenues for supporting others. Strategies for uniting for change and against violence. Working to keep the Forum's discussions relevant The topics brought up this morning ranged widely. And as with discussions over the years, the point was not ... Continue Reading →
Second Ward Gym murals are complete
Feb. 7, 2019 An event at the old Second Ward High School gym today marked the completion of murals created by Charlotte artist Tommie Robinson. The murals depict life at Second Ward High when it was a focal point of teen life in Charlotte's Brooklyn neighborhood. Two local news outlets published ... Continue Reading →