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Title: Cynthia Horton oral history interview, 2016 March 16
Creator: Horton, Cynthia, 1955-
Date Created: 2016-03-16
Subjects--Topical: Gentrification, Cities and towns--Growth, African American families, African American neighborhoods, Urban poor--Social conditions
Description: Cynthia Horton, a new member of the Optimist Park neighborhood, reflects on her childhood in Wilmington, North Carolina and notes regret that her decision to marry early prevented her from going to college. She discusses her impression that the Op...

Title: James L. Atkinson oral history interview, 2015 October 22
Creator: Atkinson, James, 1954-
Date Created: 2015-10-22
Subjects--Topical: Gentrification, African American families, African American neighborhoods, Urban poor--Social conditions, School integration, Cities and towns--Growth, Social mobility
Description: James Atkinson discusses his life and his family's long term involvement with the Optimist Park neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina, including his role as an adviser to the Optimist Park Community Association. He describes the challenges of ...

Title: Kristi McCray oral history interview, 2017 November 19
Creator: McCray, Kristi T. (Kristi Turner)
Date Created: 2017-11-19
Subjects--Topical: Gentrification, Discrimination in housing, Transportation, Cities and towns--Growth, African American families, African American neighborhoods, Urban poor--Social conditions
Description: Kristi McCray provides a detailed account of the Optimist Park community located in Charlotte, North Carolina and its growth in the 1980s. She recalls her experience as one of the first Habitat for Humanity home owners in the neighborhood, and the...

Title: Mary Heath oral history interview, 2015 October 17
Creator: Heath, Mary, 1953-
Date Created: 2015-10-17
Subjects--Topical: Gentrification, African American families, African American neighborhoods, Urban poor--Social conditions, School integration, Cities and towns--Growth, Social mobility
Description: 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 ...

Title: Mazella McDowell oral history interview, 2015 October 31
Creator: McDowell, Mazella, 1950-
Date Created: 2015-10-31
Subjects--Topical: Gentrification, African American families, African American neighborhoods, Urban poor--Social conditions, Cities and towns--Growth, School integration
Description: Mazella McDowell describes her childhood in Huntersville, North Carolina and her move to Charlotte when she was thirteen. She lived in the Belmont and Optimist Park neighborhoods where she raised her children. She details her experience building h...