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Breakfast Forum Charlotte, NC www.tueforumclt.org
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Breakfast Forum Charlotte, NC www.tueforumclt.org
Home ● Where We Meet ● News ● Attendance ● Announcements ● Events ● About Us ● Contact Us ● Search ●
March 9, 2010
Robin Bradford announced that the Black Political Caucus would hold a candidate forum on Thursday, March 18 with reception beginning at 5:30 p.m., meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Little Rock AME Zion Church at 7th and McDowell Streets. Members will meet March 21 to vote on candidate endorsements. The Spring Ball, a fundraiser at which candidates will be introduced, will be held Saturday, March 27 from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Airport Sheraton, 3315 Scott Futrell Drive. Call Robin Bradford at 704-488-7608 or robkei88@yahoo.com for tickets or sponsorship packages. Proceeds support the candidate endorsement process for the May 4 primary.
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Beverly Lawston announced a fund-raiser for her District 2 County Commissioner campaign for Thursday, March 25 from 6-9 p.m. at Claiborne's Club, 2342 Beatties Ford Rd. Tickets in advance are $20, with tickets at the door $25.
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Twyla Hollingsworth announced her candidacy for District Court Judge (Lisa Bell seat). "I'm running because justice matters."
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Vivian Mitchell announced that the Sunset at Linda Vista Neighborhood Crime Watch would hold a second meeting on Thursday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m. at Williams Memorial Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 4700 Beatties Ford Rd.
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Carol Sawyer sent in an announcement that as part of its marking of its 30th anniversary and the retirement of founding Executive Director Si Kahn, Grassroots Leadership would co-sponsor with the Levine Museum of the New South a free panel discussion, "Community Organizing in Charlotte, Then and Now," on Friday, April 9 from 7-9:30 p.m. at the museum, 200 E. 7th St. The event includes the world premier of "Rabble-Rousers, Activists & Quiet Lovers of Justice" composed by David Crowe, and a sing-along led by Si Kahn.
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Michael Sexton sent in an announcement of Mecklenburg plans for "Ask Me How I Am," the marking on Thursday, May 6 of National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day. Miss North Carolina headlines a free event at the Mint Museum of Art, 2730 Randolph Rd. from 5:30 p.m. The event includes screeenings of the PBS documentary "Misunderstood Epidemic" and "In Our Words," with a family discussion. RSVP: 704-371-8855. Info: www.wtvi.org
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Cathy Sheafor sent in an announcement that a Charlotte Community School for
Girls donor will match all donations made to the school by April 15, up to
$25,000. Info on donations: www.
charlottecommunityschool.org.
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County Manager Harry Jones' March 12 Bulletin Board included the following:
"Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services and five community partners
will be hosting two job application fairs on Saturday, March 13 and Saturday,
March 20 to screen applicants for The Opportunity Project. The Opportunity
Project is a subsidized employment program supported by American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act funds. This initiative will provide 500 temporary jobs to
low-income people.
"The fairs will be held at Founders Hall, 100 North Tryon Street. This site and
three parking locations have been donated by Bank of America. The fairs will be
open to the public from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on March 13, 2010 and March
20, 2010.
"During the fairs, applicants will be screened to determine if they meet the
eligibility criteria for The Opportunity Project. For an applicant to
participate in the program, he/she must: live in Mecklenburg County; be a United
States citizen or qualified immigrant; meet income requirements (for example: a
four-person household must have at or below $3,675 gross monthly income); be a
parent or legal guardian (provide day-to-day care for a child age 17 or
younger); and be deemed job ready.
"The five partnering agencies (Arbor Education and Training, The Center for
Community Transitions, Goodwill Industries, Jacob’s Ladder Job Center, and Urban
League) will be available to discuss job readiness/training with interested
customers.
"After the fairs, eligible applicants will be placed in a database to be matched
with employers who are recruiting for specific jobs/ skills."
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Michael Sexton sent in a save-the-date for the biennial conference of the N.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence to be held May 25-27 at the Durham Marriott Convention Center. Discount registration deadline is April 15. More info: www.nccadv.org.
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Maddy Baer sent in a reminder of a March 31 deadline for application for the
AARP Foundation Women's Scholarship Program aimed at women 40 or older who are
"seeking new job skills, training, and educational opportunities to support
themselves and their families." More info:
www.aarp.org/
makeadifference/gettinghelp/wlc/.
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Michael Sexton sent in an announcement that the League of Women Voters will mark Women's History Month with a presentation of "Iron Jawed Angles" starring Hilary Swank, Frances O'Connor and Anjelica Huston, about "the true story of The Alice Paul Institute and the young activists who risked their lives to help American women win the right to vote," on Saturday, March 20 at the YWCA, 3420 Park Rd., from 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. RSVP to LeaTolbert@yahoo.com by Wednesday, March 17.
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Amad Shakur sent in an announcement that the Center for African Diaspora would host a "We are Haiti" benefit on Saturday, March 27 from 7-10 p.m. at Spirit Square, 345 N. College St. Entertainment includes African dance groups, jazz ensembles, poets, storytellers, a panel discussion on Haitian history and presentation of a humanitarian service award. Further information: Amad Shakur at 704-777-3611.
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Michael Sexton sent in an announcement of the Crime Victims' Coalition Luncheon
for Thursday, April 22 at 11:30 a.m. at Greater Mt. Moriah Primitive Baptist
Church, 747 W. Trade St. Keynote speaker: Mecklenburg Sheriff Chipp Bailey.
Reservations before April 13 are $10, $15 after April 13. RSVP:
michael.sexton@
mecklenburgcountync.gov or 704-432-1568.
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Receive announcements by e-mail each week
The Forum 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 after Tuesday's Forum and summarizes announcements made during the Forum. (Reports of speakers' presentations and a summary of the Q&A are posted on these pages when available.)
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March 9, 2010
Al Austin, above, recently joined the McCrorey Branch YMCA on Beatties Ford Road as executive director. He showed a movie promoting the branch's current services and its place in the development of Charlotte's African-American community. He noted that the branch now serves a racially and economically diverse area of the community, and that the branch is dedicated to be welcoming to all. He said reminders of the branch's history, however, are displayed on the second floor of the building. Forum members encouraged him to work to have the branch's original site in Second Ward identified with an outdoor historical marker.
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March 2, 2010
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe addressed the Forum Tuesday. News coverage by QCityMetro.com is here.
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Forum views Reggie Bullock video
Feb. 16, 2010
At the suggestion of Dr. Vernon Herron, the Forum today watched "A War for Your Soul – Birmingham version" which captures the presentation of Reggie Bullock's "A War For Your Soul" to the Birmingham City Council.
Bullock's film was released by Erisea Films over the Internet 11 months ago and has garnered millions of views since then.
More will be posted here about the Forum's discussion later. Below is the Vimeo version of the film.
A War For Your Soul-Birmingham version from Erisai Films on Vimeo.
A second video recommended by Dr. Herron was not shown. It appeared that the parental controls on the West Charlotte Recreation website blocked the video, which is a rendering of "Lift Every Voice And Sing." Below is that YouTube video.
The URL for direct viewing of the video on YouTube is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyS3HPInHtI
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Feb. 9, 2010
B.B. DeLaine addressed the Forum Tuesday in a session on the history of desegregation and the unaddressed legacies of discrimination that continue to hobble American society today. DeLaine's father helped organize plaintiffs in Summerton, S.C. in the legal battle for a school bus that ultimately led to the 1954 Brown v Board Supreme Court decision. DeLaine was one of the leaders of the Charlotte lunch-counter sit-ins that sparked the eventual desegregation of restaurants citywide. He was the first African-American teacher allowed to teach at Garinger High School, and later served in the pupil assignment office as CMS implemented Judge McMillan's order to desegregate all public schools in Mecklenburg. DeLaine continues to fight for equity in Summeton, and spoke Tuesday about the need to heal the psychological wounds that remain for all people from the racial discrimination of the past and the ongoing forms of discrimination that remain today.
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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.