Coalition Unites Around Building Community in Charlotte at Public Forum
We Are One Charlotte, P.O. Box 667834, Charlotte, NC 28266
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Stephanie Bibbs, Site Coordinator, 980-253-5571, [email protected]
COALITION UNITES AROUND BUILDING COMMUNITY IN CHARLOTTE AT PUBLIC FORUM
Panel discusses challenges and opportunities in the Queen City ahead of the DNC next year on Tuesday, August 9 at 6:30pm
Charlotte, N.C. – On August 9, the We Are One Charlotte coalition will build on its successful April 4 commemoration of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by hosting a community forum with panelists from Action NC, Latin American Coalition, Urban League, NAACP, Q-Notes, Women’s Commission, UAW, and IBEW. If Charlotte is to shine in the international media spotlight that will come with the Democratic National Convention next year, the various communities of people who live and work here must strengthen our ties and work together. Making the most of the opportunity the DNC gives us to create jobs and build infrastructure begins with building community.
Life in Charlotte is not without its challenges - 11.2 percent unemployment and state budget cuts leading to more layoffs; a never-ending foreclosure crisis and lack of affordable housing. Progress in addressing these obstructive issues can only come by first listening to each other. The public forum on Tuesday is an opportunity to do just that, says Matt Comer of Q-Notes.
“Q-Notes recognizes that our people are only as strong as the ties we have with the rest of the community. We are one people, all struggling against joblessness, inequality, and austerity. Standing tall through it all requires that we stand together.”
We Are One Charlotte’s community forum has been organized with the help of five college students, four from UNC Charlotte and one from Rutgers University. The forum represents the culmination of their 10-week educational internship in the Union Summer program to develop skills useful in organizing campaigns for workers' rights and social justice.
“They are fighting apathy with community, and I think it’s fantastic!” says Rev. Kojo Nantambu of the Charlotte NAACP. “You can’t build community without unity. We Are One Charlotte gives us the space we need to coalesce around a positive, progressive vision for what kind of city we want to be.”
Charlotte is at a crossroads, and the people of Charlotte are coming together in the We Are One Charlotte coalition to chart their own course toward shared future prosperity.
The We Are One Charlotte community forum will begin Tuesday at 6:30 pm in the Charlotte East office park, 5700 Executive Center Drive, Charlotte, NC 28212. Free parking is available.
For more information about the program or the Coalition, or to schedule an interview with a panelist or an intern in the Union Summer program, call Stephanie Bibbs at 980-253-5571.
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