Breakfast Forum Charlotte, NC www.tueforumclt.org
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Aug. 31, 2010
Deborah Whitfield announced that the Council for Children's Rights will hold two training sessions, the first on school discipline on Friday, Sept. 10 from 9-11 a.m., the second on children with special needs parent training on Wednesday, Sept. 15 from 6-8 p.m. Info: www.cfcrights.org.
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Levester Flowers announced that Save Our Schools continues to look for adult volunteers to mentor CMS schoolchildren one hour a month. Info: Flowers at 704-968-3391 or lnf_2000@yahoo.com.
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Beatrice Cox announced that Comprehensive Genealogical Services would hold a conference on planning family reunions on Saturday, Oct. 2, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., to be held at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, 3400 Beatties Ford Rd. Speakers include Dr. Vernon Herron and Denise Mitchell. Registration information at www.cgsweb.org/conference.html and by flyer at the Sept. 7 Forum.
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Malachi Greene commended Levester Flowers on his recent appearance on WGIV radio.
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Ken Koontz announced a tailgate party, part of the 120th anniversary celebration at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, 3400 Beatties Ford Road. The tailgate party, including food and entertainment, will be from noon to 3 and possibly beyond in the parking lot. The church website says this site is "a non-alcoholic event," and Koontz added, "The spirits are going to be high, they're going to be odorless, colorless and tasteless, for those of you who are accustomed to tailgates, so we invite you to come."
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Ken Koontz announced that he has available copies of a DVD recording of the recent funeral and related events in honor of the late Jim Polk.
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Vilma Leake announced a Mecklenburg County seminar for small business owners on Wednesday, Sept. 22 from 1-2 p.m. on floor 11 of the Government Center. Lunch will be provided.
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Constance Green-Johnson announced that the Black Political Caucus would hold its Fall Fundraiser Banquet and Dance on Friday, Sept. 17 from 6:30 p.m.-midnight at the Sheraton Airport, 3315 Scott Futrell Dr., with program at 7 p.m. Attire is semi-formal. Tickets are available through Sept. 11; price of $50 per person covers dinner, DJ and networking opportunities. Info: Yvette Stewart at 919-697-6001 or yvette_stewart1@yahoo.com.
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Kamaria Wells announced that the CMS school board meets the second and fourth Tuedays of the month at 6 p.m. at the Government Center.
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Constance Green-Johnson left a message that the Black Political Caucus would hold a candidates forum on Saturday, Sept. 11 at 4 p.m. at Greater Mount Sinai Baptist Church, 1243 West Blvd.
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Michael Sexton sent in an announcement that the Domestic Violence Advocacy Council will hold a forum for candidates for Superior and District Court judgeships, on Tuesday, Sept. 7 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Auditorium 1 & 2 at the Hal Marshall building, 700 N. Tryon St.
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Nooma Monika Rhue sent in an announcement that Preserve Pro will hold a half-day seminar on preserving digital images, files and audiovisuals on Saturday, Sept. 11, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Levine Museum of the New South, 200 E. 7th St. Registration fee of $70 covers resources and refreshments. Info and registration: www.preserveproinc.net or 704-995-0731.
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Mary Klenz sent in an announcement of a campaign meet-and greet fund-raiser for N.C. House District 103 candidate Ann Newman on Tuesday, Sept. 21 from 6-8 p.m. at Don Pedro's, 5317 E. Independence Blvd. at Idlewild Road. Suggested donation $50. RSVP: tracy_montross@yahoo.com.
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Tracy Montross sent in an announcement that Partners in Out-of-School Time would hold two Coffees With the Mayor in Room 267 of the Government Center. Adults in Charlotte-area agencies that serve youth are invited to attend. The first is on Tuesday, Sept. 14 from 8-9:30 a.m., on the subject, "What's going on in Charlotte to ensure that all youth graduate ready for work, education, and life?" The second is on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 2 from 8-9:30 a.m., on the subject, "What more do we need for a Youth Development Infrastructure in Charlotte?" Both sessions are follow-ups to a July 13 breakfast with Mayor Foxx on creating a overall plan for youth development. Info: khoward@postcarolinas.org or 704-376-1845 extension 802.
The Forum generally sends out two e-mail messages each week.
The first, a short message generally on Sunday nights, announces Tuesday's speaker.
The second is sent sometime after the Forum and summarizes announcements made during the Forum.
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The Aug. 31 Forum focused on education solutions. A PowerPoint file of notes on the conversation may be downloaded here. All the slides from that file are on a web page on this site here.
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– Photographed from video presentation, Aug. 24, 2010
Ken
Simmons, education chair of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg branch of the
NAACP, presented the schema above Tuesday during a progress report
on the education committee's work this year to identify how it would
revive the NAACP's work on school issues.
Simmons said the committee contemplates raising money to provide stipends to retired educators who would make two-day annual visits to each school in the largely high-poverty Central Zone of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The former educators would rate each school in the 12 areas outlined, then produce a 1-to-4 school score, similar to the scores used in student testing.
At the conclusion of Tuesday's Forum, leader Sarah Stevenson announced that the Aug. 31 Forum would continue the discussion of K-12 school issues, and that she would put together a panel of representatives of other organizations working on various aspects of K-12 education reform.
The Aug. 31 Forum will begin at 8:30 a.m. at its usual meeting place, the West Charlotte Recreation Center, just down the hill from West Charlotte High School.
More on Simmon's presentation Tuesday will be posted here anon.
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Aug. 17, 2010
Forum convener Sarah Stevenson announced this morning that, as of next Tuesday, Aug. 24, and until further notice, the Forum will open each Tuesday morning at 8:30 a.m. sharp at the West Charlotte Recreation Center. The Forum will continue to close at or before 10 a.m.
The change from 8:00 a.m. is to adjust to staff schedule changes at the Recreation Center following cuts in the Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation Department budget. Park & Rec operates the center where the Forum has met since 2003 at 2401 Kendall Drive, down the hill from West Charlotte High School.
Stevenson also announced that donations over expenses to the coffee pot's Vernon Herron Fund would be donated each month to the Center to support the Center’s mission. She asked that Forum participants be generous.
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Aug. 10, 2010
U.S. Census official Laura McClettie presented to the Forum Tuesday on initial results of Census 2010. More details of her presentation will be posted here later this week. She encouraged people to look online at the Mecklenburg participation rates, which held steady compared to 2010 even while some counties were recording much more success in reaching people. McClettie noted that the data used to make the map shown above date from May, before the recent completion of field work to find people who did not return Census forms by mail.
Hence, Mecklenburg's overall participation rate of 72% likely will rise as more information becomes available. Initial rates for other counties included Wake, 78%; Union, 79%; New Hanover, 74%; Gaston, 77% and Cabarrus, 77%.
For now, however, the map denotes Mecklenburg's lowest participation rates in shades of blue and green, its highest participation rates in shades of dark yellow.
Census figures help determine federal funding to communities, so low participation in the Census means neighborhoods will get less than their fair share of federal dollars.
Click on the map to begin your own research.
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School board chair: 'We haven't done enough'
Aug. 3, 2010
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board Chair Eric Davis met with the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum, outlining his views on a number of issues. Click the picture to hear his words.
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July 27, 2010
Jeri Haigler, left, and Carlenia Ivory presented at the Forum Tuesday about Parent University, the CMS effort to provide information to parents about their children's education, and about personal development. Click the picture for audio from the presentation.
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Welcome to the Forum website
This site, launched in January 2007, is a communications tool for a community group that for more than a quarter century has played a key role in discussions of community issues in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC.
On this page will be the most recent news from the Forum. Elsewhere on the site are all the details of where the group meets, earlier news stories written about its speakers, attendance at each forum since July 2007, and an archive of announcements made at the end of each Forum. Other pages chronicle Forum special events, the people who are instrumental in its operation, and how to contact Forum leaders with your suggestions.
The Forum was founded around 1980 as an all-black offshoot of Charlotte's Black Political Caucus. Forum leaders later opened the doors to all persons. And since then, the Forum has played a critical role as one of the few gatherings where people of all ethnic and economic backgrounds meet together and candidly share perspectives on public affairs.
We hope you will attend and speak up at the Forum. The format is simple: On most Tuesdays, a speaker makes a presentation on some issue of public interest. A question-and-answer period follows and then it's Announcement Time.
On any given Tuesday morning you may find yourself in a room with tradesmen, members of the N.C. legislature, housewives, community group leaders, business owners, City Council members, county commissioners and perhaps a judge or two. With such expertise in the room, the discussion can be exhilirating. And with such a broad spectrum of the community's leadership represented each week, the announcements alone are a unique chronicle of community history.
For decades, the Forum has thrived in spite of not taking a single position, not endorsing a single candidate, not building a single building. It has stuck to its core mission -- fostering discussion of public affairs across the dividing lines of race, class, economic status and power. That's the business of building community. If that interests you, please join us Tuesday morning!
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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.