Burris, Gwendolyn, 1954-

Brooks, Michael
Coates, Carlie

Burris, John Thomas

Charlotte, North Carolina

J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections and University Archives, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

2016-03-16

1 audio file (26:03) : digital, MP3

sound recording-nonmusical

spoken word

eng

Gwendolyn Burris was a 61-year-old woman at the time of interview, which took place in the Optimist Park neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina. She was born in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1954. She completed the ninth grade, and was educated at Seversville Elementary School, Irwin Avenue Junior High School, McClintock Junior High School, and West Mecklenburg High School. She was employed in housekeeping, food delivery, and as a nurses' aid in Charlotte hospitals and nursing homes.

Gwendolyn Burris is a Charlotte native who moved to the Optimist Park community in 1987. She shares her memories of growing up in downtown Charlotte and details some of the challenges her family faced, including school integration in the early 1970s. Mrs. Burris also discusses her outlook on recent changes arising from urban growth and gentrification in the Optimist Park neighborhood and the negative impact that these changes could have on current residents.

MP3 access copy created on ingest from WAV preservation master. Interview originally recorded on Zoom H5 digital recorder with XY modular mic.

Food service employees
Nurses' aides
Laundry workers

Burris, Gwendolyn, 1954-

School integration
Gentrification
Segregation in education
African American families
African American neighborhoods
Urban poor--Social conditions

North Carolina--Charlotte
North Carolina--Charlotte--Optimist Park

Interviews
Oral histories

1950-2020

UNC Charlotte Honors College and Charlotte Action Research Project interviews on Charlotte neighborhoods

Small but significant : The Optimist Park community

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audio/mpeg

CH-BU0001

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/uncc:1449