Karen Flint

Mr. Price Davis’ memories span almost twenty years, and, although he resided in Cherry and New York City during this time, attended the first African-American High School in Charlotte, Second Ward, which was located in the heart of Brooklyn. Graduating from Second Ward in 1939 and about to turn eighty years old in two months, Mr. Davis was very emotional and vocal with his testimony, offering a fascinating view into not only the daily life of the residents of Brooklyn but also insights into public services, specifically the actions and policies of the Charlotte Police Department. Mr. Davis describes, in detail, the feelings towards the first black officers in Charlotte, his brutal treatment under white officers, and his ultimate love of the city of Charlotte and how it has changed. Davis participated in two interviews, the second of which was recorded with a small group of Second Ward High School Alumni.

Mr. Price Davis is also included of the Second Ward Alumni Interview

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Reverend Barbara Davis Crawford was born and raised in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina. She attended Myers Street School and Second Ward High School and was very active in the athletics and after school programs at the High School. Reverend Crawford is an Assistant Pastor at Greater Bethel AME Church in Charlotte, formerly known as Bethel AME which was located in the Brooklyn neighborhood. Reverend Crawford helps to define the boundaries of Brooklyn by remembering the various buildings and businesses as a “walk-through” the neighborhood. She is also an outspoken advocate for the preservation of the heritage of the Brooklyn neighborhood, fighting to keep the existing gym in place as a reminder to all generations of the neighborhood and its memories.Read more…

Mr. Charles Clyburn’s memories of Brooklyn span almost thirty years, having been born in Charlotte and living there his entire life. He attended Second Ward High School, the first African-American High School in Charlotte and graduated in 1951. His testimony is diverse and covers a broad range of topics, including the education, recreation, and snapshots of everyday life in the community.Read more…

Mr. Don Bryant was elected to the Charlotte City Council in 1961, in which capacity he served until 1965. During his first term on city council, Bryant held the only opposing vote to the Urban Redevelopment Plan in Charlotte’s Brooklyn neighborhood. He agreed with the other city council members on the issue of destitution and poverty in the Brooklyn neighborhood and the importance of urban redevelopment, but disagreed with the council’s ideas and methods in achieving the desired goals and objectives. He sums up the interview with a statement that the urban redevelopment plan was a step in the right direction for Charlotte during the 1960s, but was not a perfect plan. Bryant was born on April 10, 1923, in Greenville, South Carolina, the son of James R. Bryant and Lillian C. Bryant. He is the husband of Frances V. Bryant, and the father of Melissa Bryant and Cameron Icard. He entered Davidson College in 1942, but left during his sophomore year to serve the United States in World War II as a B-17 pilot. Returning in 1946, Bryant resumed his courses at Davidson and graduated in 1948 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Since 1948 he has made his career in the funeral home business, Harry and Bryant Company.Read more…

Calvin Brown Upon graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Mr. Calvin L. Brown moved to the city of Charlotte in 1961 to pursue his desire to practice law. At this time, only four lawyers professionally practiced law in Charlotte and Mr. Brown added to that number increasing the count to five. He entered Charlotte during a time of great change as issues of segregation and integration were constantly being challenged and urban renewal promised to tear out the heart of a once thriving black community and ethnic enclave known as Brooklyn. During the urban renewal process, Mr. Brown aided the residents of the Brooklyn community by acting as a liaison between black property owners and the city to negotiate fair and just compensation. Mr. Brown continues to practice law today at the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (A.M.E. Zion) Publishing House that now resides on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, once known as Second Street and the heart of the Brooklyn community.Read more…