Page initiated Sept. 26, 2023 Sarah Belle Mingo Stevenson was born Oct. 26, 1925. She died Sept. 26, 2023. A Charlotte Observer remembrance is here. Other media reports included those from WFAE, the Charlotte Post, WSOC-TV, WCNC-TV, WBTV, Queen City News and QCityMetro, More on Stevenson’s life ... 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 →
Response to Storm Florence – and how to do even better next time
September 18, 2018 There were many plaudits from Forum participants today for city officials on how Charlotte's uniformed and ununiformed service personnel responded during Storm Florence. One of the focuses of the presentation was on preparation and how technology and modern practices were ... Continue Reading →
City seeks to boost collaboration among small grassroots groups
Aug. 14, 2018 Kerr Putney and Willie Ratchford made a pitch Tuesday for help reshaping how Charlotte deals with community challenges. Using a new round of micro-grants to area grassroots groups, CMPD Chief Kerr Putney said his aim was to force small groups working on similar problems to work ... Continue Reading →
Open Forum focuses on officer-involved shooting, funding priorities
Jan. 31, 2017 It began as an Open Forum. But Sarah Stevenson had asked Willie Ratchford to bring a police official to discuss a recent officer-involved fatal shooting on Albemarle Road. So Ratchford addressed some of the issues that have already emerged, including the position taken by some young ... Continue Reading →
Forum talks about racial divide, police-community relations
Jan. 3, 2017 Near the end of today's Forum, Willie Ratchford had participants look out the meeting room door. They could verify, he said, that the world had not come to an end because they had talked about race and police-community relations issues. Indeed, the longtime head of ... Continue Reading →
Tree canopy, Americans with Disabilities Act
July 26, 2016 Charlotte Tree Canopy Manager Erin Oliverio first this morning, outlining a plan under way to develop a master plan for trees in Charlotte. City Council has set a goal of having 50% of the city under the tree canopy by 2050. Oliverio described the goal as aggressive, given the amount ... Continue Reading →
Ratchford welcomes Forum to Belmont Regional Center
Jan. 19, 2016 Willie Ratchford, executive director of the City of Charlotte Community Relations department, had invited Sarah Stevenson last summer to bring the Forum to the Belmont Regional Center. The 1975 building has a number of tenants, including nonprofits and city staff departments, ... Continue Reading →
Plan for Charlotte Civil Liberties resolution goes to Council Monday
May 28, 2015 Community Relations Committee Director Willie Ratchford this morning sent in this PDF file containing material going Monday, June 1, to Charlotte City Council about a proposed civil liberties resolution. Ratchford writes: "The attachment contains the following items which will be ... Continue Reading →
Education pioneer Kat Crosby dies
Text Cashe for use if the following link is not available http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/11/19/3677398/charlotte-mecklenburg-education.html Charlotte-Mecklenburg education pioneer Kat Crosby dies CMS teacher, administrator was leader in desegregation fight and healing ... Continue Reading →