The time following the police-involved shooting of Keith Lamont Scott and the subsequent civil unrest marked a difficult and challenging time for the University and greater Charlotte community.
For many students, the aftermath has led to growth and change. Learn what some students had to say about the lessons learned following those turbulent weeks.
(Pictured from left: Javier Negrete, Ena Walker, Fahn Darkor, Anthony Mower, Libby Nixon and Lauren Bullock.)
Javier Negrete (’18): “Following the shooting, there was a feeling of solidarity on behalf of the community from students of color – it was an opportunity for students to be reflective.”
Ena Walker (’18): “The shooting burst my happy UNC Charlotte bubble, but now awake, I can appreciate the allies that support our students and the unification we all seek.”
Fahn Darkor (’17): “As a result of the Keith Lamont Scott shooting, the 49er community became more vocal and active in social injustice.”
Anthony Mower (’17): “From the time of this tragic event, I have been able to see great strengths from our student body, the most prominent of which is how unified students have become.”
Libby Nixon (’17): “It started slow, but the number of strong friendships between those who were divided in the chaos surrounding the shooting of Keith Scott are growing every day.”
Lauren Bullock (’18): “It is important to have students of all backgrounds come and join the conversation. You should have all communities in the conversation.”
Read the complete article here.
Events and Conversations
The conversation is far from complete. UNC Charlotte continues to explore race and economic mobility with multiple offerings for the community to join the discussion. Student Affairs and campus partners are also offering a full week of opportunities to plug into.
Monday, Sept. 18: Social Justice Organization Fair
11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., SAC Salons at Halton Arena
Learn more about the UNC Charlotte student organizations and Charlotte community agencies with a social justice focus and how you can get more involved to make a change.
Wednesday, Sept. 20: A Road Map of Opportunity for Charlotte
5:30 p.m., Cone University Center, free and open to the public
Ophelia Garmon-Brown and Charles O’Dell, co-chairs of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force, will provide a community discussion for the ninth annual Bertha Maxwell-Roddey Distinguished Africana Lecture. The Task Force was a 20-member group gathered to address the social and economic divide in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community and develop a plan of action.
Thursday, Sept. 21: The Story of the Charlotte Girl
7 p.m., Barnhardt Student Activity Center Salons, free and open to the public
MacArthur Fellow Lateefah Simon will deliver a presentation on economic mobility. Simon, a “genius grant” recipient, has more than 20 years of experience advancing opportunities for communities of color and low-income. Currently, she is president of the Akonadi Foundation, serving to support and nurture racial justice in Oakland, California.
Tuesday, Sept. 26: The Role of Food in Redefining the South
6:30 p.m., UNC Charlotte Center City, free - register online.
Food is a common fuel to launch discussion and helps cross lines of race, class, gender and region. In this Personally Speaking talk, Ashli Quesinberry Stokes explores how individuals find a common language through food, despite race and class divisions that continue to plague the South.
Thursday, Sept. 27 – Sunday, Oct. 1: “Baltimore”
Multiple performances, Robinson Hall for the Performing Arts, tickets here.
A short play by Kirsten Greenidge, “Baltimore” is set on a college campus and peers keenly into the lives of present-day students as they grapple with a racially charged dorm room incident.
Thursday, Sept. 27: Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
WAIT LIST ONLY, 6:30 p.m., McGlohon Theater at Spirit Square
UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute, in conjunction with multiple civic sponsors, presents Pulitzer Prize-winning author Matthew Desmond and a discussion on eviction as a symptom and cause of poverty as illustrated in his best-selling novel “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City.”
Thursday, Sept. 14 – Sunday, Nov. 12: Bittersweet Harvest Exhibition
J. Murrey Atkins Library, free and open to the public
“Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program, 1942-1964” is a bilingual (English/Spanish) traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution that explores President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s creation of what would become the largest Mexican guest-worker program in U.S. history.