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Title
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Mary Heath oral history interview, 2015 October 17
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Interviewee
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Heath, Mary, 1953-
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Interviewer
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Dass, Sai
Ingram, Alyssa
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Place of Publication
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Charlotte, North Carolina
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Publisher
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J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections and University Archives, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
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Date of Interview
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2015-10-17
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Physical Description
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1 audio file (22:34) : digital, MP3
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Object Type
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sound recording-nonmusical
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Genre
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spoken word
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Language
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eng
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Interviewee Biography
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Mary Heath was a 62-year-old woman at the time of interview, which took place in the Fifteenth Street Church of God, Charlotte, North Carolina. She was born in Charlotte in 1953. She was educated at J. H. Gunn Elementary School, Albemarle Road Junior High School, Independence High School, and Central Piedmont Community College. She was employed as head of housekeeping at the Federal Reserve Bank and on the housekeeping staff at Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte.
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Abstract
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Mary Heath, a Charlotte native, describes her life and experiences as a longtime resident of Optimist Park. Mrs. Heath discusses growing up in the Hickory Grove area of Charlotte and how desegregation impacted her education. She describes how she came to live in Optimist Park and how her children"s involvement in the Boy Scouts of America and Habitat for Humanity impacted that decision. She recalls the camaraderie that resulted from building her own and others" Habitat houses, and discusses her community involvement as secretary for the Optimist Park Community Association and as a member of the Fifteenth Street Church of God. Mrs. Heath reflects on significant changes within her community including rapid growth, increased diversity, and a reduction in drug and alcohol use. While she sees these changes as beneficial to the neighborhood, she is also cautious about the future of the community and how it will be impacted by pressures of new development and domination by the adjacent North Davidson arts district .
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Digital Object Notes
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MP3 access copy created on ingest from WAV preservation master. Interview originally recorded on Zoom H5 digital recorder with XY modular mic.
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Interviewee Occupations
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Cleaning personnel
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Subjects--Names
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Heath, Mary, 1953-
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Subjects--Organizations
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Habitat for Humanity, inc.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Optimist Park Community Association (Charlotte, N.C.)
Boy Scouts of America
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Subjects--Topics
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Gentrification
African American families
African American neighborhoods
Urban poor--Social conditions
School integration
Cities and towns--Growth
Social mobility
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Subjects--Geographic
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North Carolina--Charlotte
North Carolina--Charlotte--Optimist Park
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Subjects--Genre
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Interviews
Oral histories
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Coverage--Dates
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1950-2020
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Digital Collection Title
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UNC Charlotte Honors College and Charlotte Action Research Project interviews on Charlotte neighborhoods
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Digital Collection Series Title
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Small but significant : The Optimist Park community
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Related Materials Note
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Henry Heath oral history interview, October 17, 2015, J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections and University Archives, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
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Rights
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This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
This material is protected by copyright. Copyright is held by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
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Internet Media Type
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audio/mpeg
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Identifier
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CH-HE0009
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Handle URL
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http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/uncc:1429