Brooklyn Oral History
Brooklyn Oral History
  • Savoy Theatre
    Savoy Theatre on S. McDowell St. Undated. Hank Daniel, Staff - The Charlotte Observer
  • Caldwell+Brevard-crop
    2nd St. between Caldwell & Brevard, Brooklyn neighborhood. Undated. Tom Walters, Staff - The Charlotte Observer
  • News
  • History of Brooklyn
    • Brooklyn Time Line
    • Bibliography for Brooklyn and Urban Renewal
    • External Oral History Sites
  • About this Project
    • Class Pictures
    • Note of Thanks
  • Interviews
    • Friendship Missionary Baptist Church
    • Second Ward Alumni
    • Olaf Abraham
    • Kelly Alexander
    • Margaret Alexander
    • James Black
    • Christine Bowser
    • Calvin Brown
    • Don Bryant
    • Charles Clyburn
    • Barbara Davis Crawford
    • Calvin C. Davis
    • Naomi A. Davis
    • Price Davis
    • Morgan Edwards
    • Thereasea Elder
    • Vermelle Diamond Ely
    • Rosena Gaines
    • Delores Giles
    • William Harris
    • Reginald Hawkins
    • Vernon Herron
    • Betty Golden Holloway
    • Johnny Holloway
    • Wright Hunter
    • Ida James
    • Charles Jones
    • Walter “Buck” Kennedy
    • Frances Leach
    • Doretha Leak
    • Lem Long
    • John McCarroll
    • Mary S. McGill
    • John Murphy
    • Mae Orr
    • Connie Patton
    • Richard Petersheim
    • Mary Poe
    • James Polk
    • James Ross II
    • Vernon Sawyer
    • Dorothy Shipman
    • H. Milton Short, Jr.
    • Curtina Simmons
    • Barbara C. Steele
    • James “Slack” Steele
    • Arthur Stinson
    • Daisy Stroud
    • John Thrower
    • Bill Veeder
    • Arthur Wallace, Sr.
    • George A. Wallace, Sr.
    • Alegra Westbrooks
    • Arthur Williams
    • Diane Wyche
    • James Yancey
    • Ozener Yancey
    • James and Ozener Yancey
    • Cleo A. Yongue

Alegra Westbrooks

September 28, 2016 by Karen Flint
section: Interviews

Ms. Allegra Westbrooks was born on March 13, 1921 in Cumberland, Maryland to Dr. Buford and Rowena Westbrooks. She attended Atlanta University School of Library Services and moved to Charlotte to begin working at the Brevard Street Library in Brooklyn in 1947 and became a member of the East Stonewall Ame Zion Church. She ran the library and began discussion groups to bring members of the African-American community into the library to use the services. She also worked the Book Mobile to bring books to African-American neighborhoods that lacked a well-supplied library. She was promoted to acquisitions for the Main Library in 1950 shortly before the Brevard Street Library was torn down during Urban Renewal in 1951.

Her memories of Brooklyn paint a picture of a tightly knit community that was targeted by Urban Renewal because it was considered the “weakest link” in the Charlotte area. However, regardless of that fact, it was a tremendous loss for the African-American community. The story of the Brevard Street Library delves into the issues of segregation and desegregation and the hard work and determination of the African-American community to find ways to have a strong and active community life.

https://brooklyn-oral-history.charlotte.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1007/2016/09/Westbrooks-Allegra.mp3

Tape Log

Tape Log: Oral History Interview with Alegra Westbrooks

Interviewed by Nicole Glinski

Time Description of Interview Contents
0:03 Opening of interview
0:30 Ms. Westbrooks introduces a bit about herself
1:00 Segregation in libraries
1:18 Head of the African-American Library Services
1:30 Brevard Street Library and other branches
1:40 All White Libraries (Cornelius Branch)
1:53 Feeling of being banned from White Libraries
2:10 Retires at age 62
2:25 Integration allowed her to work for the Main Library
3:16 Bringing books to neighborhoods without libraries
4:07 African-American Libraries borrowed books from the Main Library
5:09 Clubs and Churches used as a tool to promote books
5:10 Phillis Wheately YWCA
6:10 Book Mobile services for areas without libraries
7:21 1903 Main Library
7:40 1951 Urban Renewal closed Brevard Street Library
10:30 2nd Ward High School students library usage
12:38 Teenage discussion groups, story hours, adult groups (American Heritage Series)
14:38 American Heritage Series discussion on African- American religion
16:47 Charlotte Community merged at group meetings
18:12 Book Mobile
26:30 Closing of the Brevard Street Library
30:30 Books at the Brevard Street Library
32:00 Non-religious organizations in Brooklyn
37:25 McCroury Branch YMCA
39:10 Notice of demolition in Brooklyn
41:40 The community response to the library being
43:20 Reasons Brooklyn was targeted for Urban Renewal
45:00 Opinion on whether Brooklyn needed to be rehabilitated
47:10 Plan to rebuild in Brooklyn
48:00 Martin Luther King Boulevard
48:25 Urban Renewal’s effect on the Black community’s relationship with local government
50:50 The Brooklyn Community
52:55 Lessons learned from the Urban Renewal Experience
53:20 Segregation
58:15 Library Programs
63:20 Where people moved after Urban Renewal
66:25 Library’s impact on Ms. Westbrooks life and personal accomplishments
72:38 Closing of interview

Transcript

Alegra Westbrooks

Skip to toolbar
  • Log In