Enlarge The audience divided into small groups to discuss what Trayvon's death meant to them.

Posted: April 24th, 2012 Carla Hough

On April 11, in the wake of news that George Zimmerman was being arrested for the murder of Trayvon Martin, a diverse group gathered at Little Rock AME Zion Church to discuss the events leading up to it and its rippling affect on communities all around America.

Coordinated by The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee, Community Building Initiative and Mecklenburg Ministries, the topic for the night was "Can We Talk About Trayvon Martin: Why Is What Happened So Disturbing?"

Willie Ratchford, Executive Director of the Community Relations Committee, set the stage. He stated that what was needed was a "safe place to come together to have civil dialogue to discuss difficult situations."

Rick Thames, Editor of the Charlotte Observer, recounted the events, mostly taken from articles written by journalist Frances Robles for the Miami Herald. Trayvon, a 17-year-old high school student, was staying with his father and his father's fiancée in a gated community in Sanford, Fla. After returning from a store to purchase candy and a drink, Martin was followed by Zimmerman, a 28-year-old who volunteered with Neighborhood Watch, who according to the 911 phone call he made, felt Martin looked "suspicious." Zimmerman pursued Martin. And not long after, Trayvon was dead.

Moira Quinn, Senior Vice President of Charlotte City Partners, served as moderator and introduced the panel consisting of Brett Loftis, Executive Director of the Council for Children's Rights; Jelani Haskins, a student at Philip O. Berry Academy of Technology; Jose Hernandez-Paris, Diversity and Multicultural Education Specialist at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools; Brian Heslin, an attorney with Moore & Van Allen; and Mary C. Curtis, an award-winning journalist.

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Posted: April 18th, 2012 Lee Howard

• N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue is urging voters to shoot down Amendment One, the proposal that would ban LGBT marriage and legal recognition for all unmarried couples and strip protections and benefits from families. Perdue, speaking at a women’s conference at UNC-Charlotte last week, announced her opposition to the May 8 referendum that would amend the state constitution. Perdue, a Democrat, is not running for re-election.
• Meanwhile, the City of Charlotte is considering offering benefits to same-sex partners of its employees, City Manager Curt Walton said during a budget meeting last week. Walton said the city is studying the issue, and expects it would cost $150,000 annually. The city spends about $40 million on health benefits a year. Mayor Anthony Foxx, a Democrat, said he’ll support the change.
• The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utility Department says it needs to raise water and sewer rates by about 6 percent for the average customer to keep up with rising gas and electricity prices. Residential customers who use large amounts of water for irrigation will see a rate hike of 9 percent.  A CMUD official says revenues from rates aren't keeping up with costs.
• A record crowd turned out on the first day of “Rise Above,” the exhibit about the Tuskegee Airmen, which features a P-51 Mustang like the ones flown by the famed African-American World War II flying unit. More than 500 people attended the exhibition Wednesday, Carolinas Aviation Museum officials said. It was the largest one-day attendance for any exhibit in the museum’s history. The program ran through Saturday.
• Charlotte’s Mint Museum plans to launch a research center based on North Carolina pottery as part of a major renovation of its Randolph Road campus. With 2,200 objects, some dating to the 1700s, the Mint has the largest and most comprehensive collection of North Carolina pottery in the nation. Mint officials says the pottery research center would underscore the state’s already high profile in the world of ceramics.

Posted: April 16th, 2012 Brant Aycock

The public voted this month, and Crossroads Charlotte is excited to announce the latest round of winners for A.C.T. (Achieving Community Today) Projects. A.C.T. Projects are designed to fund small initiatives that will connect people across lines of difference.  Members of the community submit ideas, and the public decides which will get funding by voting on Facebook. The winners receive up to $500 to implement their projects.  This cycle there were three winning projects:

Winner #1: 10 Artists in 5 Days:  A View of Charlotte Through the Arts by Aisha Alexander

This will be an innovative way to allow people to see the world through the eyes of another. People will be able to learn what’s special, but also what is universal in their identity, relationships and communities. During 5 “pop-up” conversations, with diverse audiences, attendees will all be asked: “What makes you, you?” and "What makes Charlotte, Charlotte?”. At each event, 2 local artists will paint a visual of the stories – live. At each event people will be exposed to diverse opinions and given a visual of the stories.

Winner #2:  Graham Heights Spring Festival by Joe Howarth

The Spring Festival will be a cookout, organized by Graham Heights residents partnered with UNCC students. The event will be a venue so that Graham Heights residents and families can meet each other and enjoy fellowship in an informal environment over great food.

Winner #3:  Projective Eye - Art in the House by Crista Cammoroto

Art-in-the-House would offer hands-on artistic experiences such as painting, drawing, screen-printing, dance and music facilitated by faculty and staff of the College of Arts and Architecture at UNC Charlotte. Faculty will guide participants through the process of creating a piece of art, learning a dance, or playing a musical instrument or composition.   Participants will then get to produce a piece of their own!

Congratulations to all of our winners!  This is the final round of A.C.T. Projects.  Since the first cycle of awards was given in December 2010, Crossroads Charlotte A.C.T. (Achieving Community Today) Projects have enabled 19 individuals to make a difference in their communities by funding their ideas.

Posted: April 11th, 2012 Lee Howard

When Dee Liss became pastor of the 232-year-old Long Creek Presbyterian Church in Bessemer City last summer, she was able to land a $10,000 grant from the David Cannon Belk Foundation. The money was aimed at digging up information about an historic cemetery near the church grounds. The effort uncovered more than 90 unmarked headstones now known as “the slave cemetery."

A rally for slain Florida boy Trayvon Martin was held Saturday, April 7, in the Our Children's Memorial in Frazier Park in Charlotte. The rally was organized by the group, Help Outlaw Outrageous Discriminative Injustices Everywhere, or H.O.O.D.I.E. The rally aims to not only to only honor Trayvon but also other teens that have been lost in the community due to racial profiling.

Workers this week drove pilings deep into the ground at Charlotte Douglas International Aiport’s new, $160-million hourly parking deck. That project, scheduled for completion in 2014, is part of the $1 billion expansion program Airport Director Jerry Orr plans for the next seven years, including an eight-lane entrance road, a fifth runway, an expanded main terminal, and a freestanding international terminal where the rental car facility currently stands.

Finalists for the superintendent’s seat of Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools are scheduled to meet with the Board of Education, CMS staff and community members April 11 – 12, 2012. Names of the three finalists will be disclosed Monday, April 9, 2012. On Wednesday, April 11 the candidates will meet with principals and staff, and participate in school tours. Public meetings are scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at sites throughout Mecklenburg County with a final meeting at Northwest School of the Arts for parents, students and staff.

Despite a tough economy, the U.S. Census bureau reports Charlotte saw record growth of nearly 65% from 2000 to 2010. Analysts say bank jobs are a large contributor to that. Two other cities in the Carolinas made the top 10 list. Raleigh came in No. 2 with more than 63% growth. And Greenville, S.C., snagged the No. 9 spot.