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We're seeing many companies and organizations like the Knight Foundation
and Fifth Third Bank make investments in Charlotte's Historic West End.
Here to tell us more is Lee Fite from Fifth Third Bank and Charles Thomas from the Knight Foundation.
Many of Charlotte’s historic black communities have been erased forcibly from the landscape by urban renewal policies in the 1970’s and the city’s economic expansion during the 1980’s and 1990’s, but the Historic West End has survived largely intact. For generations these neighborhoods have faced challenges like school desegregation, the often violent struggle to gain civil rights, the highways that split their communities, and the crime, drugs, and economic stagnation that followed. They have not only survived but thrived, and they nurtured a successful black professional middle class of doctors, lawyers, politicians, teachers, ministers, and civil rights leaders who lived in impressive suburban enclaves at a time when they were often not even viewed as equals. Our investment into the Historic West End has been has been impactful. “We are committed to listening to the community and helping small businesses as well as aiding in affordable housing“ says Fite. Fifth Third has a many year commitment to help revitalize this historic community. But businesses like Fifth Third are not going at it alone. They have partnered with the Knight Foundation to help ease the economic gap and disparities this neighborhood is facing.
The Knight Foundation has been involved in the Historic West End for many years. “We have listened to the needs of the community and have answered the call” says Thomas. The foundation believes an engaged community is one where people are attached to the place where they live and are invested in the community’s future. Engagement includes many things, such as choosing to stay in a place, participating in community and civic affairs, voting, volunteering or simply taking part in the social life of the community.
Their engagement can be seen in two areas that include:
Public Spaces: We invest to connect people to the places where they live and to the public life of the community through the design, construction and programming of inclusive and equitable public spaces.
Opportunity: We invest to attract and retain people in communities through inclusive and effective pathways to economic opportunity.
“Smart Cities” as Responsive Cities: As digital technology reshapes our lives, we invest in technology-enabled efforts that help residents connect to each other and become more informed, and that help cities be more responsive to residents. The Knight Foundation are reaching and continuing to listen to the community. This work is ongoing and the partnership will continue to grow to help those in the Historic West End. For more information about Fifth Third Bank visit 53.com and for more information about the Knight Foundation visit KnightFoundation.org