Money Magnets, sponsored by Self-Help Credit Union, is a club for kid entrepreneurs that gives families opportunities to learn from local Black entrepreneurs. Money Magnets was one of West Boulevard Library’s responses to the Chetty Study, which highlights conditions that make it difficult for Charlotteans who are born into poverty to transition out of poverty. Money Magnets disrupts poverty by providing resources for economic empowerment to kids and their responsible adults in areas most likely to be negatively affected by this trend.

Money Magnets was piloted as a start-up social entrepreneurial effort during the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s observance of Money Smart Week in 2019. Alexandra Arrington, a former child entrepreneur herself, designed and facilitated the programs. Money Magnets teaches elementary schoolers and their families about financial literacy, community-mindedness, and character education within the framework of business ownership. Reinforcement of literacy and vocabulary, building social capital, and encouraging calculated risk are also included. Perhaps the greatest opportunities provided are networking with and being coached by successful local Black entrepreneurs and earning a modest amount of seed money to begin their businesses.

Alexandra Arrington, LCMHCA, NCC, BC-TMH  

Another benefit of our focus on kids’ experience with these concepts is that their responsible adults are also involved and work with the student to support their learning, as well as reinforce their own understanding. The four-session online Money Magnets program offers follow-up individual online coaching as well. KidPreneurs in training who attend three Money Magnets programs, complete a business plan, and pitch their business idea in a R.I.C.H. Circle receive $25 in seed funding for their business plus a $25 Youth Savings Account at Self-Help Credit Union. Learn more about this program and the various sessions offered:  

Session One: The Business of Being You

Got an idea? This session will focus on the importance of being who you are and learning what you like to help you decide on what business to start. Special guest entrepreneur, hip-hop artist, Chief Operating Officer, and multimedia design artist, David “Dae-Lee” Arrington will join us to share his experiences.

This program is offered online from 6-7p.m. on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Registration is required.  

Register

Money Magnets One-on-One Strategy Session

These individual coaching sessions are an online follow-up program for The Business of Being You. Sessions are offered by appointment only and are geared toward helping kidpreneurs-in-training get one-on-one assistance with fleshing out their business ideas and learning about specific resources. Open to K-5 students and their responsible adults who attended The Business of Being You.

This program is offered online on Saturday, May 1, 2021. Register for one 15-minute session that falls between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Register

Upcoming Session Topics

Each of these programs is followed by relevant One-on-One Strategy Sessions.

The Business of Family Business - May 26, 2021

Special guest entrepreneurs are millionaire and generational wealth expert, Steven L. Stack, and his 8-year-old daughter, Nia.

The Business of Caring - June 30, 2021

Special guest entrepreneur is organic product developer, Ayesha Murphy.

The Business of Launching - July 28, 2021

Surprise special guest entrepreneur.

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This blog was written by Teresa Cain, librarian at West Boulevard Library.

April is a National Poetry Month and whether you're a fan of limmerick, free verse, haiku or sonnet poetry, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has your preferences covered. If you're looking to explore a new work of poetry or you're craving a certified classic, check out a book from our list of recommended titles below.

Click here to find this AWARD-WINNING list in the Library catalog.

ADULT

The Tradition by Jericho Brown
2020 Pulitzer Prize winner, Poetry

Brown's third collection (after The New Testament) pulsates with the acute anxieties of racial and sexual difference, the psychologically complex intersections of personal intimacy with social responsibility and the inescapable legacy of violence and pain intrinsic to vulnerable lives in an unjustly constructed world. A consummate craftsman, Brown conveys emotional and provocative content through plainspoken yet subtly lyrical forms whose delicacy only heightens the subversive force of his ideas, which can be delivered with unabashed, declarative candor. Verdict: Though many poems here risk intruding on some readers' comfort zones, Brown's uneasy fusion of art, conscience, eroticism and rage - like any serious poetry worth close attention - aspires to greatness within the fragmented immediacies of our historical moment while suggesting a shared human destination:"A poem is a gesture toward home."

Only as the Day is Long by Dorianne Laux
Teaches at NC State, Pulitzer finalist, A National Book Critics Circle Award finalist and a recipient of the Oregon Book Award and the Paterson Prize

Featuring selections from five books augmented by 20 new poems, this generous volume from Laux (The Book of Men) reads something like a life story: notably, one that begins with familial fear, incest and abuse. Travelling through confusion, adult sex, motherhood, love, fatigue and redemption, Laux ends where she begins: with her mother, who is, to the last, a troublesome nurse. In spite of everything, the poet can't help but celebrate the self's mistakes and triumphs. When Laux welcomes readers into a personal moment, she speaks for humankind: "We've forgotten the luxury of dumbness/how once we crouched naked on an outcrop/ of rock, the moon huge and untouched/above us, speechless." Concrete places abound: bedroom, trailer, hospital psychiatric ward, a porch. There is a lot of sex; for example, "Vacation Sex," an aroused version of a travel tour, revels in its own obsessive pleasure. Some of the best poems here appear toward the chronologically organized collection's end, where humor arrives despite a mother's growing dementia. And in the long biographical poem "Arizona," Laux writes lovingly of that same mother's face as "a map of every place she'd been." This is a catalogue of honest work, from beginning to end.

The Carrying by Ada Limon
Finalist for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Kingsley Tufts Award.

National Book Award finalist Limón (Bright Dead Things) here weaves nature, family and grief into a stunning collection. Several poems recount the loss of the speaker's first husband from a drug overdose, but although pains are often described - whether caused by grief, infertility, or a crooked spine - Limón's poems sing with the joy of life: "I wish to be untethered and tethered all at once, my skin/ singes the sheets and there's a tremor in the marrow." The poet mourns not only for people lost but also for irreplaceable things such as languages: "In the time it takes to say I love you, or move in with someone/...all the intricate words/ of a language become extinct." Many poems begin or turn on the unexpected, as in "The Vulture & the Body": "What if, instead of carrying// a child, I am supposed to carry grief?" Occasionally, there are too many unessential details, and although most of Limón's similes are strikingly good, she sometimes settles for the easy: "I saw seven cardinals brash and bold/ as sin in a leafless tree." Nevertheless, in accessible language, Limón writes movingly about finding the spectacular in the everyday. Verdict: Limón's vision is realistic, at times bleak, yet these poems often brim with optimism, revealing a reverent, extraordinary take on the world. Don't miss this life-affirming collection.

YOUNG ADULT (YA)

What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
Christopher Award, the Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry, the Claudia Lewis Poetry Award, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize nomination and a Cuffie Award from Publisher’s Weekly for Best Book Title of the year. But the coolest honor she ever received was when her novel, What My Mother Doesn’t Know, landed her a spot on the American Library Association’s list of the Most Frequently Banned Authors of the 21st Century.

Returning with a sequel to the well-received What My Mother Doesn't Know, Sones delivers another engaging story about young love, this time from the boy's perspective. This free-verse novel opens with 14-year-old Robin worrying that he will soon be dumped by his girlfriend, Sophie (star of the previous book), who is being ostracized at school for dating "the guy whose last name people use as a diss." ("Let's face it/ I'm the type of guy/ who doesn't even have any buddies/ on my buddy list," Robin says.) But Sophie is her own person and together they form a plan to rise above the derision by laughing at themselves. Robin is believable and endearing as he struggles to make sense of his devotion to his "amazing girlfriend," his nascent sexuality and his attraction to Tessa, a girl in his art class at Harvard who is refreshingly unaware that he is the butt of jokes at his high school. When Sophie catches him kissing Tessa, Robin has to do something dramatic to win her back. Concrete poems and comics punctuate the text, adding interest to the form. The author's fans will be delighted to have a new installment written with the same raw honesty and authentic voice as the original.

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam
National Book Award Finalist

Zoboi (Pride) and Salaam (one of the Exonerated Five) together craft a powerful indictment of institutional racism and mass incarceration through the imagined experience of Amal, a Black, Muslim 16-year-old facing imprisonment. Amal, a gifted artist and poet attending a prestigious fine arts high school, has his life turned upside down when a nighttime park confrontation leaves a white kid from the other side "of that invisible line/ we weren't supposed to cross" in a coma, and Amal and his four friends on the hook for assault and battery they did not commit. Using free verse, Zoboi and Salaam experiment with style, structure, and repetition to portray "old soul" Amal's struggle to hold on to his humanity through the chaotic, often dehumanizing experience of juvenile incarceration. From the trial onward, the authors liken the pervasive imprisonment of Black bodies to the history of chattel slavery in America ("and this door leads to a slave ship/ and maybe jail"), and describe how educational racism feeds Black students into the school-to-prison pipeline ("I failed the class/ she failed me"). Zoboi and Salaam deliver an unfiltered perspective of the anti-Blackness upholding the U.S. criminal justice system through the eyes of a wrongly convicted Black boy ("shaping me into/ the monster/ they wanted me to be").

CHILDREN

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
William Allen White children’s Book Award

A fat volume of small illustrated rhymes from Silverstein, who gets down to the level of kids' peeves, spooks, and sense of silliness often enough to score a collective hit. His cast includes a babysitter who thinks her job is to sit on the baby, a selfish child who prays that if he dies his toys will break so no one else can have them, a walrus with braces, and a man who thought he had wavy hair till he shaved it off and found he had a wavy head. There are some funny twists and take-offs on familiar rhymes and tales—such as a speculation on what would happen if Captain Blackbeard shaved, and a warning to the "Rockabye" baby that a treetop is no place to rock: "Baby, I think someone down here's got it in for you." There are also a number of typical twist endings, many of them lame or predictable - but then you can't expect 168 laughs in 168 pages. For undertow, there's the eyeball in the gumball machine (a sentinel reminder that "I" have had enough gumballs) and the fearful "Whatifs" that climb into "my" ear at night. All in all, bright and knowing nonsense.

Firefly July by Paul B. Janeczko
2019 Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children

Organized by the seasons, beginning with spring, this collection of 36 impeccably chosen short poems demonstrates that significant emotional power can reside in just a few lines. In obvious contrast with such small bites of poetry, the large-format design explodes with bright and expressive watercolor, gouache and mixed-media collages. Colors and shapes with willowy details expertly blur or bring bits of the images into focus to create a magical sense of place, time and beauty. The poems range from work by William Carlos Williams, Emily Dickinson and Langston Hughes to that of James Stevenson, Joyce Sidman and Ralph Fletcher. The first verse opens the book with daybreak, and after exploring the whole year, the final selection sends readers off to sleep: "A welcome mat of moonlight/on the floor. Wipe your feet/before getting into bed" (Jim Harrison and Ted Kooser). Every poem evokes a moment, and, combined with its corresponding full-bleed illustration, the season is captured for readers to remember, experience, or anticipate.

This blog was written as part of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Black Lives Matter program initiative. Learn  more about the program and corresponding events here.

Last week the man that murdered George Floyd was found guilty by a jury of his peers, was handcuffed, and carted off to prison to await sentencing. I don't believe that people were prepared for the criminal justice system to hold Derek Chauvin accountable for the crimes he committed against George Floyd and it's quite shocking that Derek Chauvin was held responsible. It shouldn't have been, but it was. Many people call this justice, but this verdict was more about accountability. Justice wouldn't let the killing of Black bodies at the hands of police continue to go on. I believe that protesters were fully prepared to cause a stir, and rightly so, there were celebrations in the streets this time. We all breathed a collective sigh of relief when the judge read all three guilty counts, however, it should not be like this.

The trial took several weeks to deliberate, with the world waiting on bated breath. And, if it weren't for Darnella Frazier, I'm not sure we would have reached three significant guilty verdicts. For those who may not know, Frazier was a bystander on the day George Floyd was arrested. She and her 9-year-old cousin happened to be in the neighborhood, along with many other people. They decided to take out her cell phone to record the realities of Floyd's death. First off, I could not imagine the horrors they witnessed -- especially at such an early age. But what I really can't get out of my mind is that without her eyewitness account and video footage (which was the longest and most clear footage recorded that day), would the outcome of the trial be the same? Much like the footage captured of Rodney King, Frazier's video brought the truth to light and ultimately held Chauvin accountable.

Black people's shared experience dealing with the police and lack of justice or accountability is traumatic. The trauma never ends because, on the heels of our collective relief that accountability was served, there was another police shooting of a Black body — this time, a 16-year-old child. There are no words to describe the announcement of yet another Black body being shot down by police. I can gather that numb is a feeling, and outrage. Enough is enough. Reform of the police is a necessity. It will take more than just saying but actually putting it into legislation.  

Since the start of Derek Chauvin's trial, there have been many interactions with police that have happened or been revealed, and it's triggering. People of color have been facing some hard realities these past few weeks. A Black Army Lieutenant, Caron Nazario, was pulled over and harassed by police in Virginia. Although complying with the officer's commands, the officers excessively pursued him and caused an uproar online from the video of the interaction that went viral. Days following the body cam footage of Lt. Caron Nazario's interaction, Daunte Wright was shot and killed by a police officer after being pulled over because he had an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror. Not even a week after that, police body cam footage was released of a 13-year-old child with his hands up being shot and killed by Chicago police. And even since the initial writing of this blog, there are more names to add to the list of people killed at the hands of police. On top of the Chauvin trial, all these things happened simultaneously, and it's heavy.

Although heavy and traumatic, Black people continue to fight for this so-called justice. All these things are about holding people accountable because justice would require change, and change seems so far away.

True justice comes when there are no longer cases like George Floyd's and all the men and women whose cases came before his and all the cases of the people who don't make national headlines. Black lives still matter.

To read more about the social justice movement, criminal justice, excessive force and the police, check out our Justice and Accountability booklist on the Library's website.

Access the Justice and Accountability Booklist

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This blog was written and a collaboration of thoughts by De'Trice Fox, adult services librarian; Amrita Patel, library outreach coordinator; and Alesha Lackey, children's services manager.

The Reading in Color program began in 2016 at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. Created by Outreach Coordinator, Jasmine McNeil, this started out as a weekly book club with six fifth-grade girls at an inner-city elementary school. The objective was to create a book club that promoted diverse characters in a positive light as a way to connect with reluctant readers and to increase literacy skills in students that were behind.

As the program grew, so did the popularity and the number of schools requesting it. In 2018, Reading in Color was branded and a team of library staff was formed to meet the need at additional schools. The main community partner for this successful program is Communities in Schools.

Each week, students ranging in grades third through eight, received a weekly book club that not only helped with literacy skills but focused on self-esteem and social-emotional learning. From games and activities, group work and open discussions, students were able to express themselves and collaborate with their peers.

In 2020, Reading in Color won the Mayor’s Mentoring Alliance Award, for “Best Mentoring Collaboration” for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and Communities in Schools.

Since the pandemic, the Reading in Color team has shifted its focus from book clubs to social-emotional learning activities and providing Communities in Schools families with community and library resources. It was necessary to shift the focus with the constant change of virtual learning. The team wanted to find a way to continue to engage with the students previously served, as well as new students, without adding to their “burnout” of virtual learning.

The team began one-on-one Reading Buddy sessions by request. The books chosen continue to feature and highlight characters of color.  “Reading in Color Shorts” was created as short videos that provide either a recommended book that features characters of color or highlighted library resources. These “shorts” are shared monthly with community partners.

As the team plans for the upcoming school year, there is hope that in-person programming will begin, book clubs will resume, as well as the expansion of programs created during the pandemic.

A special shout out to the ladies that continue to make this small team a huge success and an even greater impact in the community:

Jasmine McNeil (Outreach), Sydney Porter (Plaza Midwood Library), LaShai Thompson (Independence Regional), Janai Thompson (Allegra Westbooks Regional), Amrita Patel (Outreach) and Karina Blackburn (University City).

Check out the Reading in Color impact video here.

Also, keep up on our monthly Reading in Color shorts by visiting the Reading in Color Playlist on the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s YouTube Page.

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This blog was written by Jasmine McNeil, outreach coordinator, at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

This blog was written as part of the 2021 Community Read program. Learn more about Community Read and take the pledge here.

Community Read has something for everyone this year, especially children and families! You Matter by Christian Robinson is our companion title for younger children (ages 2+). The simple but engaging text and illustrations convey a message of resilience and demonstrate how we all relate and contribute to the world around us. Want to explore You Matter in different ways? We’ve got you covered! 

Explore the outdoors with a Storywalk at Seversville Park (530 S. Bruns Avenue, Charlotte) that features You Matter (or visit one of our other four Storywalk, which all feature stories related to Community Read this month!). Can’t make it to the park? Watch this video of the You Matter Storywalk featuring a very special guest (Sir Purr of the Carolina Panthers!). How about a soothing read-aloud? Retired NASA astronaut Joan Higginbotham reads You Matter in this video. Or join any of our online storytimes throughout the month that will feature You Matter and related titles! (Don’t worry if you end up reading You Matter multiple times! Repetition is such an important part of learning. Reading a book more than once is a great way to reinforce vocabulary and build a love of reading and stories.)

We also have great programs throughout the month for children in elementary school. Check out this list of online Community Read programs for children ages 5-11. Join a book club or Story Explorers program. Get to know other kids in the community, discuss books, and complete fun activities! Everyone in your family can pledge to participate in Community Read: read a book, share perspectives, attend a program, and more! Please make sure to take our pledge and register for the Community Read Beanstack challenge! Check out the Community Read page for everything you need to get started.

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This blog was written by Jesse Isley, children's services leader for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

It’s National Women’s History Month!

Celebration of women’s contributions to and successes in American history was first observed in Sonoma, California’s school district in 1978. The celebration consisted of weeklong festivities that included a parade and a “Real Woman” essay contest that recognized women’s achievements in culture, history and society.   

By 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued a presidential proclamation declaring the first week of March as National Women’s History Week. The following year, the U.S. Congress established National Women’s Week as a national celebration. In 1987, the National Women's History Project petitioned for a monthlong celebration, which the organization was successfully granted.  

International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8, has been observed since 1911 and sponsored by the United Nations since 1975. 

There are countless women in Charlotte’s history that made a lasting impact on our community. Here is a list of some of those women and their accomplishments:  

Thereasea Clark Elder (1927-2021) grew up in the Greenville neighborhood in Charlotte, NC. She attended West Charlotte High School, studied nursing at North Carolina Central University in Durham, and completed a certification program in Public Health Nursing at UNC-Chapel Hill. While in Durham, Elder enlisted in the United States Cadet Nurse Corps at Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing. She moved back to Charlotte where she worked at Good Samaritan Hospital after graduation, later accepting a job as a public health nurse for Mecklenburg County in 1962. She is remembered for her leadership in breaking the color barrier in the County’s public health service. Elder was also active in her community, serving in the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women and on the Board of Greater Carolinas Chapter of the American Red Cross. 

Jane Smedberg Wilkes (1827-1913) is remembered as the Godmother of Charlotte Hospitals. Among her many charitable works, Wilkes was especially interested in improving medical care in the community. Like so many women of her day, she volunteered at one of the local military hospitals during the Civil War. In 1878, she joined a group of local women from St. Peter’s Episcopal Church to establish St. Peter's Home & Hospital. A tireless fund-raiser, Mrs. Wilkes often asked wealthy relatives in the North for donations to finance hospital improvements. In 1888, the money she raised allowed Wilkes and her supporters to open Good Samaritan Hospital, North Carolina's first hospital for Black patients. 

Anita Stroud (c1899-1984) grew up in poverty in South Carolina and decided to dedicate her life to children in need, especially during the holiday season. For half a century, she hosted after-school programs and organized activities to care for at-risk children in Charlotte. She also organized holiday dinners and festivities, so her “children” never missed out on winter celebrations. The Anita Stroud Foundation has continued her work since her death in 1984.

Harriet Morrison Irwin (1828-1897) attended Salem Female Academy in Winston-Salem for college, where she studied literature, religion, history, and some math, among other subjects. Harriet enjoyed writing and submitted articles to The Land We Love, Charlotte’s first magazine. In addition to writing, she had a passion for engineering and architecture. In 1869, she designed and received a patent for a hexagonal house. She was the first woman to receive an architectural patent in the United States. 

 

Dr. Annie Lowrie Alexander (1864-1929) was the first female physician in North Carolina. She lived during a time when the idea of any woman becoming a doctor horrified many people. Nevertheless, she persevered and served a successful practice for over forty years, leaving behind a legacy of devotion to her patients and the professional respect of her colleagues.

Annie Smith Ross (1867-1924) assumed her duties as the first professionally trained library director in Charlotte on January 3, 1903. She is seen here in the Carnegie Library Reading Room soon after it opened. She served as the director until 1909 when she retired.  

Dovey Johnson Roundtree (1914-2018) was a native Charlottean and a graduate of Second Ward High School and Spellman College. Roundtree broke barriers wherever she went. After serving in the Women’s Auxiliary Corps in WWII, she earned a law degree from Howard University and won the landmark case that ended segregation on interstate busing. In 1961, she was ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and served as a minister as well as an attorney. [Photo courtesy of the New York Times]

Julia McGehee Alexander (1876-1957) was the first woman in Charlotte to practice law. A leader in the Suffrage Movement, she quickly became involved in local politics after the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified on August 18, 1920. In 1925, she became the first woman to serve in the State House of Representatives. Women today have the privilege of voting due to the endless efforts of women like Julia. 

Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Various Chapters: DAR was founded in 1890 as a national society of women dedicated to historical preservation, education and patriotic behavior. In 1949, members of Charlotte’s local chapters joined forces to save the Hezekiah Alexander House for future generations to enjoy and study.  

Mary Myers Dwelle (1891-1975) served as the President of the Charlotte Women’s Club at the height of the Great Depression. She spearheaded the campaign to save the US Mint that was demolished in 1933. The two-day campaign enabled Myers to pay the demolition contractor and have the building’s remains moved to land donated by E.C. Griffith. After three years of fundraising, the building was restored and an inaugural gala on October 22, 1936 marked the beginning of the Mint Museum of Art. [Dwelle is the woman on left] 

Allegra Westbrooks (1921-2017) was the first African American public library supervisor in North Carolina. Westbrooks was hired by the Charlotte Public Library in 1947 as the head of Negro Library Services for the system, based at the Brevard Street Library in Second Ward. After the library system desegregated in 1956, she was promoted to Head of Acquisitions and later Assistant Director. Ms. Westbrooks’ career with the Library spanned 35 years, but her legacy continues today. 

Bonnie Ethel Cone (1907-2003) is best known as the driving force behind the development of the UNC-Charlotte. She came to Charlotte as a mathematics teacher at Central High School (the forerunner of Garringer High School). After World War II, she taught at Central High School's College Center for returning GI's. In 1957, the college center became a state supported community college. She served as Charlotte College Director from 1949-1961; Charlotte College President from 1961-1965; UNCC acting chancellor from 1965-66; and UNCC Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Community Relations from 1966-1973. [Photo courtesy of UNCC, Atkins Library.] 

"Martha Evans accepting the Charlotte Woman of the Year award, 1956." 

Martha Evans (1910-1979) was the first woman elected to the Charlotte City Council, serving from 1955-1959. She later went on to serve in the North Carolina General Assembly from 1963-1965, and the Senate from 1965-1970. As a legislator, Evans advocated for causes rooted in education and mental health, including a universal kindergarten system, licensing of day care centers, and supporting the educational needs of the mentally challenged. [Photo courtesy of WBT/WBTV]  

Betty Daniels Feezor (1925-1978) was a native of Texarkana, Arkansas, but moved to Charlotte in 1953 at the request of WBTV. She hosted the Betty Feezor Show from 1953-1977. In 1958, it became the station’s first show video-recorded in color. Feezor was one of the most popular local TV personalities in Charlotte. She was the author of numerous cookbooks. Her untimely death in 1978 from brain cancer was greatly mourned by locals.  

Hattie Leeper (1930-), commonly known as “Chatty Hattie,” was the first African American woman on the radio in North Carolina. Her radio career began at Charlotte’s WGIV Radio in the 1950s, and later in her career, she was inducted into both the Black Radio Hall of Fame and North Carolina Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. In 1973, she taught Communication at several colleges, to include Johnson C. Smith University and Gaston College. After retiring in 1998, she ran her own communications school in Charlotte.  

Dorothy Counts (1942-): On September 4, 1957, Dorothy Counts was the first Black student at Harding High School. She was met with an angry crowd throwing rocks and screaming at her. After receiving death threats, Counts' parents decided to withdraw her from Harding and transfer her to another school. She has been an instrumental civil rights activist in not just Charlotte's history, but also our nation's history. Her fearless efforts continue to impact our community today.  

Mary Oates Spratt Van Landingham (1852-1937) was an officer in the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution as well as a member of the North Carolina Society of Colonial Dames. Through her work, she helped raise funds for St. Peter's Hospital and publicized the importance of historical places and people. Descended from Colonial-era settlers, she was married to hardware merchant John Van Landingham. She was widely known for her outspoken opinions and wrote frequently about current and historical events for local and regional newspapers.  

Ella B. Scarborough (1952-) is one of three county commissioners that serves the Mecklenburg County community. She is involved in the Economic Development Committee, which encourages economic growth for people and businesses. Her efforts on the committee led her to becoming the Vice Chair in 2015. Her involvement in community service began in 1987 when she became the first African American female council member. She is involved in six other organizations in Charlotte and is well known in the "Who's Who in the World of Women" 1980 and Special Libraries and Information Sciences 1982 for her strong research and assembly of archival information. [Reference and photo courtesy of MeckNC.gov]  

Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) landed her aircraft on the dirt field at Charlotte’s privately owned airport on November 10, 1931, while on a promotional tour for Beech-Nut chewing gum. She is seen here with Clarence “Booster” Kuester, Executive Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce, on her right. Earhart encouraged local officials to build a public airport in Charlotte, who acted quickly to pass a bond referendum. The city also received a federal grant from the Works Project Administration (WPA) in the early 1930s, which enabled them to begin construction of the Charlotte Municipal Airport (now known as Charlotte Douglas International Airport). The airport officially opened in 1937.  

Hilda H. Gurdián is the CEO and co-founder of La Noticia, the largest Spanish-language newspaper between Washington, DC, and Atlanta, GA.  She and her husband founded the newspaper in April 1997 after moving to Charlotte from Caracas, Venezuela in 1992 with their two sons. La Noticia (as of 2020) serves over 300,000 readers in the state, with publications printed in Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, and Asheville. In 2019 alone, La Noticia received 35 José Martí Awards, making it the most awarded Spanish-language paper in the United States. [Photo courtesy of Charlotte Magazine]

Charlotte Kelly (1897-1988) was a professional astronomer who graduated from Wellesley College in 1919. In Charlotte, Kelly is best remembered as the Star Lady in recognition of her great commitment to sharing her knowledge and love of astronomy with the community. She was a guiding force in the development of the Charlotte Nature Museum's planetarium and the educational programs that it hosted. She became its first director. When she retired from the planetarium in 1969, the planetarium, now located at Discovery Place, was named in her honor as The Charlotte A. Kelly Planetarium.  

Dorothy Simpson Masterson (1897-1991) is referred to by many as Charlotte's First Lady of the Theatre. Masterson used her talent and interest to guide the formation of the Mint Museum Theatre Guild. In 1954, she was instrumental in developing the Mint Museum's Golden Circle Theatre Guild. She also directed and taught drama in Charlotte for many years. In 1970, Dorothy Masterson was named Charlotte's Outstanding Career Woman of the Year. She is listed in the 1974-1975 edition of Who's Who in the United States. In 1983, she was presented with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in recognition of her service to the community and state. Masterson retired from directing in 1977 but remained active in local theatre activities until she relocated to Baltimore in 1987.  

Rosalie Hook Gwathmey (1908-c2001) was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 15, 1908. She was the daughter of successful architect, Charles C. Hook, and Ida MacDonald Hook. After studying painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and Art Students League of New York, she became fascinated with photography and joined the Photo League in 1942. Gwathmey became well known for her photos of the Black southern community in Charlotte, North Carolina. Many of the scenes she captured became the inspiration for her husband’s (Robert Gwathmey) paintings. 

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This blog was co-authored by Sydney Carroll and Shelia Bumgarner, archivist and historian of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room 

This blog was written as part of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Black Lives Matter program initiative. Learn  more about the program and corresponding events here.

A few years ago, while shelving books one day at West Boulevard Library, I stumbled across the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. While I was not familiar with Mrs. Lacks or her story, I was immediately drawn to the title. I checked it out and eagerly waited to dive into the text. But I soon realized that nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to read.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks details the story of Henrietta, a Black Southern tobacco farmer, whose poverty-stricken family rigorously worked the same land as their slave ancestors. She was a beautiful wife and loving mother that was dedicated to her family. In 1951, Lacks went to John Hopkins Hospital in Maryland with complaints of abdominal pain and feeling what she described as a “knot” in her womb. Over time her condition worsened and it was discovered that Henrietta had cervical cancer that metastasized to other parts of her body. Sadly, she succumbed to her illness on October 4, 1951 at age 31.

On one of her numerous visits to Johns Hopkins, the only hospital that would see Black patients at the time, a biopsy was performed on Mrs. Lacks. Without proper consent the cells retrieved from her biopsy were sent to Dr. George Gey, a top cancer and virus researcher, to be studied at his prominent tissue lab. Amazingly, unlike other cancer cells being researched Mrs. Lacks’ cells doubled every 24 hours. Her cells were nicknamed “HeLa” and were used to study the effects of drugs, toxins, and viruses on the growth of cancer cells and her cells were heavily utilized to learn more about how viruses worked and played a vital role in the polio vaccine.

But while all these monumental discoveries were taking place, Mrs. Lacks’ family was left in the dark. The findings made using Mrs. Lacks’ cells were extremely lucrative for the companies and individuals involved, while at the same time, Mrs. Lacks’ family was still poverty-stricken as researchers continued use of her cells until decades later.

In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Skloot details this tragic but also inspiring story. Mrs. Lacks’ cells were vital to our current medical advancements, and stories like this are vital because they highlight the racial disparities faced by Black women in the healthcare system. Without this story being told, the institutional racism that many Black women currently face would continue to be overlooked.

In honor of Women’s History Month, I would encourage everyone to read this book and others that spotlight the little-known but globally impactful stories of women of color throughout history.

check out the book here     Check out the movie here

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This blog was written by Cearra Harris, teen librarian at West Boulevard Library.

On March 31, 2021, Lee Keesler retires as the first CEO of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library after serving in this role since 2012.

Lee has always had an affinity for the Library and he truly understands the impact it has on each of us. One of Lee's favorite stories to share is as a young child, his mother would load up their little red wagon with all the books he and his siblings had checked out and they would walk to the Myers Park Library to return them. Once there, they would check out more books and fill that little red wagon once again before returning home. 

March 31, 2021 is Lee Keesler Day in Charlotte, NC. Join us in celebrating Lee's accomplishments and his service to the Library. #CMLibraryLeeKeeslerDay

On March 19, 2021 Lee was awarded The Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Governor Roy Cooper.

The Legacy

Lee Keesler, a Charlotte native, has demonstrated a passion for his hometown that is evidenced in more than three decades of exemplary leadership in the corporate, nonprofit and community service sectors. He has made significant and impactful contributions to our community, improving lives and creating opportunities for those who live, work and play in Mecklenburg County. 

Before coming to the Library, Lee had a long and successful career in the banking industry serving as an Executive at First Union (now Wells Fargo) from 1980 to 2004, leaving corporate America to devote his career to public service. During the next 15 years, he worked with two transformative nonprofit organizations in Mecklenburg County, leaving both much better than he found them. Along the way he also served on numerous community boards including Queens University of Charlotte, Charlotte Center City Partners, ArtsTeach, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, the United Way of Central Carolinas and the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce.

Lee’s crowning achievement has been his nine-year service to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. As the Library’s first Chief Executive Officer, Lee took the leadership reigns of the library system following the 2008-2009 recession. His immediate task was leading the Library forward with an unwavering commitment and vision to rebuilding and reimaging the Library’s next chapter as a beloved and essential community resource. 

Lee strongly believes that literacy and lifelong learning and access to information are fundamental to our way of life; he made it his and the Library’s mission during his tenure to make sure everyone in our community has access and that the Library is a welcoming and inclusive space for all. 

In his role as Charlotte Mecklenburg Library CEO, Lee was successful in building stronger community relationships and engagement, fiscal responsibility and 21^st century access and excellence across the system.

Other highlights of Lee’s accomplishments include: 

• He helped found, organize and staff the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation. 
• He led a long-term strategic planning process to envision the Library’s future. The process engaged the community and looked at current challenges and opportunities including growth patterns, demographics, learning trends, shifts in technology and more. The result is the 2025 Essential Plan that guides the Library’s priorities. 
• He promoted economic opportunity via education and workforce development through a series of innovative programs and partnerships, including CMS - ONE Access, a targeted partnership with high schools around college and career connections, curriculum tied to specific library databases, and professional development shared among staff of both organizations. 
• He oversaw rebranding of the library and committed to strategic marketing and digital communications to better tell the compelling story of how libraries serve and are essential to all in our community. 
• He led the launch of the systemwide internal culture initiative in 2018 called FOREWORD with six guiding principles that led to better communication, collaboration, unity and retention throughout the organization. 
• He helped develop a stronger, more diverse, engaged and active board of trustees, better reflecting the voices and needs of our community. 

Under Lee’s steady leadership, The Library became more accessible, engaged, digital and sustainable. When he retires on March 31, 2021, he leaves behind a revitalized and relevant Library system that will soon break ground on a $100 million, 115,000-square-foot Main Library in Uptown Charlotte. 

Thanks to Lee’s leadership and strong support from the county, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library ably welcomes and serves a growing, ever-changing community while earning national recognition for its work.

From all of us at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, we wish Lee and his family all the best. He will be missed!

Lee Interviews Tom Hanchett in the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room.

This article was written by Ed Williams, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Trustee.