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About the Forum
        Pull up a chair and join the community discussion

A hearty welcome to visitors and newcomers. The Forum shares with all present "information of importance to the African American community in particular and the rest of Charlotte in general. Come in, donate whatever you can for your refreshment and make yourself comfortable. Look around. Among those around you on any given day will be wage earners and business owners; civic activists and nonprofit executives; and a variety elected officials of this community -- judges and members of Charlotte City Council, the county commission, school board and state legislature.

The brief history below suggests why you will find such a variety of people at the Forum, but we'd suggest you find out for yourself by being present. If you do, we think you'll be back.

 

A bit of history

Leonard R. Jones Co-founder Sarah Stevenson continues to lead the Forum.

The following Oct. 14, 2005 excerpt from a column by Charlotte Business Journal writer David Mildenberg will give readers a sense of the Forum. The column was headlined: "A get-with-it response to apathy: For decades, Sarah Stevenson has set the standard for public discourse"

"The declining interest in local and state affairs, reflected in low voter turnout and reduced membership in civic groups, is disappointing.... Fortunately, Sarah Stevenson is among those who have bucked those trends in Charlotte for 25 years -- for which she deserves praise.

"In 1980, she and now-deceased Mecklenburg County Commissioners Bob Walton and Phillip Berry started the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum at the old YWCA on Trade Street.
It was an outgrowth of the Black Political Caucus.... Now meeting at a recreation center next to West Charlotte High School, it's a rare sounding board for Charlotte's African-American community to communicate with the mostly white, southeast Charlotte leadership -- and vice versa.

"Speakers and questions are timed precisely to avoid excessive rants. That's important because the cadre of regular attendees, including Richard McElrath, the Rev. Thomas Moore and Gyasi Foluke, do not lack for strong opinions about inequities in Charlotte.

"We want to inform people and let them air their concerns and their complaints to the right folks," says Stevenson, who moderates the meetings.

Much of the group's longevity clearly stems from widespread respect for Stevenson's gracious yet firm style....

"It does seem to be getting harder to keep people interested, and a lot of people are pessimistic," she says. "But that's a reason for those of us who are optimistic to try to convert some of those folks. I just feel it is better to be optimistic and just push and work as hard as you can."

 

The ground rules

Here are the Forum's "operating agreements." The Forum has settled on these rules after years of discussing controversial and emotionallly charged issues. The text:

The Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum provides an opportunity for all in attendance to learn information of importance to the African American community in particular and the rest of Charlotte in general. In order for the Forum to operate as smoothly and effectively as possible, it is asked that all attendees adhere, at the very least, to the following rules of conduct:

1) Raise your hand when you desire to speak and you will be called upon in the order acknowledged.

2) A variety of input is greatly valued so an attempt will be made to hear from those who have yet to speak before acknowledging those who desire to speak again.

3) In that this is a forum, a public meeting place for open discussion, it is expected that all attendees will dialogue (the understanding of self and others) in lieu of debating (the successful argument of one's position over that of others). It is asked that your questions be succinct and precise so that others may also have an opportunity to participate in the topic of the day. It is further asked that attendees engage in non-threatening, non-name-calling, non-finger-pointing dialogue and conduct themselves in a manner that reflects the very best the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum has to offer.

4) While it is evident the Forum attracts some of Charlotte's brightest and most eloquent, the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum apologizes for not having ample time for such intellectuals to showcase their talents at length and reserve the right to remind those who may forget.

5) Have a wonderful learning experience!

 

Attendance records

Since July 2007, the Forum has reported its attendance numbers to the West Charlotte Recreation Center, which asked for the information for its records on use of its facilities. Those records are here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Forum welcomes all persons to its meetings beginning at 8 a.m. most Tuesdays of the year
at the West Charlotte Recreation Center, 2222 Kendall Drive, Charlotte, NC
down the hill from West Charlotte High School.