African-American Culture in Charlotte
The most striking discovery in researching the cultural presence of the black community was its very occasional celebration. The word ‘annual’ and ‘biennial’ often precedes the title of African American events. In Charlotte, the Alpha Kappa Alpha international conference and the Jack and Jill of America convention stand as prime examples of this. Once these events finish, the cultural presence of the black community seems to diminish and almost evaporate until the next one. The aim here is to bring black culture into the foundations of identity in Charlotte in order to encourage integration.
Upscale bars and restaurants in downtown areas are typical spaces prone to gentrification dominated by the white middle class. This seems to be the case in Charlotte. Jarvis Holliday describes Charlotte as a place of ‘angst’ for black professionals who “lament the dearth of good or welcoming places to go to”. Social events with a large black turnout are infrequent and essentially represent a ‘black night’ at a venue. For example, one of the most popular events in Charlotte is “Charlotte’s Favourite Happy Hour” which is almost exclusively black and only held monthly. The rest of the time nightclubs and bars are predominantly white and there is very little representation from other demographics. A key to solving this problem is through black ownership of some of these venues. A more diversified ownership of such spaces encourages more a more diversified demographic of customers, as has been seen with bars such as Therapy.
More significant, however, is the cultural integration of suburban/outskirt areas. Effectively diversifying downtown is almost impossible if the spaces in which these communities grow up and actually live are essentially segregated. The segregation of white and black residential areas is fairly evident:
Concentration of White Population
Concentration of Black Population
It was therefore necessary to find spaces on the fringes of these segregations to encourage both communities to meet. Here, we chose the skatepark. Skateboarders vary in social class but are predominantly white. However, the setting of the skatepark and street fashion lends itself to integration with all core aspects of hip-hop. Graffiti is ever-present and music is essential. Donell Stines-Jones has demonstrated the potential of skateparks for cultural integration through the annual event “Battle Slam Jam”, bringing together “the skate community, local artists and hip-hop culture”.
Following the model of the Grayson Skatepark, these facilities would also serve as community centres. These locations draw people of all ages, but would be especially significant in integrating the youth of these communities. Gang culture is prevalent in some areas of the suburbs, and community centres could provide points of unity within the residential areas themselves. This idea is based off of what we have all read in ‘Cant Stop Wont Stop’.
The future vision for the African American community is to make this integration permanent and not merely a occasional celebration.
Vision for Charlotte 