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Carver College Established
Carver College (one of the institutions merged) was opened on the campus of Second Ward High School on Alexander St. with Dr. E.H. Edward as its director; Second Ward High School was the first public high school for black students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, (CMS Story, 1). Carver College provided night classes for black veterans who had returned home from WWII. Its name was then changed to Mecklenburg College in 1961. -
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Civil Rights Movement
The Civil Rights Movement in the United States was a decades-long campaign by African Americans and their like-minded allies to end institutionalized racial discrimination, disenfranchisement and racial segregation in the United States. -
Dora Johnson leads the creation of the unified Secretarial Program in CPCC
Dora Johnson, head of Mecklenburg College’s secretarial program at the time and one of CPCC’s original faculty members, was approached by Dr. Richard Hagemeyer to discuss their partnership in creating a unified secretarial program for students in the newly merged CPCC.( The Executive Secretarial Program officially started up in 1964 with three students who were all taught in the same classroom at Central High.) -
CPCC Established
Was a combination of the historically black Mecklenburg College (originally named Carver College) and the historically white Central Industrial Education Center (CIEU). Established to meet the needs of students who might not have had the means to attend a school like UNCC or other colleges in the areas. Provided classes for non-traditional students, students who needed to complete their GED, and trade classes. It improved upward mobility and workforce placement. -
John H. White wins a Christmas seal contest
CPCC Alumnus John H. White was awarded a Pultizer Prize in Photo Journalism. John was the first community college graduate in history to win the prize. -
CPCC's Community College Board cease's operations at the Beattie's Ford Campus
Due to low enrollment, the CPCC Beattie's Ford campus cut back to night classes, going from 300 to 86 daytime students; racial sensitivities being a part of the issue. The Beattie's Ford campus was previously the all-black and segregated CPCC campus. Black students didn't want to attend because they sought an escape from the stigma of all-black colleges; it was viewed as a holdover from educational segregation and white students were also reluctant. Operations at Elizabeth Ave. flourished. -
Harvey H. Boyd, a graduate of CPCC, wins a contest held to design the Mecklenburg county seal
Sometime around the 50s-60s, the Chamber of Commerce sponsored a contest to design a county seal. Harvey Boyd, a graduate of CPCC and employee in the Art Department of the Charlotte Observer (at the time) had the winning design. Before submitting his work for consideration, Boyd copyrighted his work. The Board of County Commissioners officially adopted the seal in 1964. The seal is now placed in multiple county buildings, and this was a key event as it promoted representation for POC. -
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Affirmative Action Era
Affirmative action helps overcome the effects of past societal discrimination by allocating jobs and resources to members of specific groups, such as minorities and women. -
CPCC vs OEO
CPCC clashed with the Office of Economic Opportunity over the integration of adult literacy programs. The school was required to actively encourage racial integration in order to qualify for funding to keep the program viable. The board of trustees decided not to comply with the OEO's order, thus leading the OEO to drop their order and compromise with CPCC. They asked that CPCC draw up suggested attendance guidelines for students & a formal policy wherein teachers are hired regardless of race. -
Mary Walker graduates from the Traffic and Transportation program
She is the first woman to do so from CPCC, any school in the south, or country as far as we know. This was an important event in gender representation. [Prospector] -
Black Student Unity League formed
Though there was a heated discussion, the application for the creation of the Black Student Unity League was approved with Alfred Hood as its president. This was a positive event for racial equity within the student body because it was the first student organization to represent and highlight its students of color. -
Offender Assistance Program Cancelled
In April of 1975 Offender Assistance through Community College (OATCC) program was launched but cancelled in June 1977, only two years later. The program gave people a chance to have a better life and education that many students and professors maintained was a brilliant program, but Dr. Hagemeyer said it was impossible to fund. This hurt racial equity because it took away the chance for offenders, mostly minorities, to reduce recidivism and have a shot at a legal, normal life. -
Evans v. CENTRAL PIEDMONT COMMUNITY
Elizabeth Evans and four other female employees sue CPCC on the basis of racial and sexual discrimination. Discrimination suit goes all the way to U.S. Court of Appeals but was dismissed because the court ruled that the plaintiffs did not prove that the defendants discriminated based on sex. This hurt racial equity because racial and gender discrimination was not properly handled. -
Tension toward Iranian students at CPCC increase
The Iranian Hostage Crisis caused students from various countries to alienate the Iranian students. Even after the release of the hostages, people would avoid and distance themselves from the Iranian students. An anonymous call was placed to CPCC threatening to "exterminate" the Iranian students. Had an adverse on racial equality because many Iranians in the U.S. were fearing revocations of their visas and deportation. It also caused increased nationalist views. -
Students attend March on Washington II
Students from the African-American Culture & Education Club attended the "March on Washington II" and speeches from Civil Rights leaders, including Rev. Jesse Jackson. 1983 marked a big year for Jesse Jackson. He attended the 20th Anniversary Celebration of CPCC's founding in May 1983 and then later that year would speak at the "March on Washington II". He was growing in popularity due to his humanitarian efforts and negotiating release of American hostages abroad. -
Jesse Jackson speaks to students at the annual May Daze celebration
Jesse Jackson spoke also in honor of CPCC's 20th anniversary; he was invited by the Afro-American Cultural and Educational Club. Jesse Jackson ran for president twice and was very active during the Civil Rights Movement. He was also integral to the release of multiple American hostages from various countries multiple times. -
Maya Angelou speaks at CPCC as part of a distinguished lecturer series
Maya Angelou was a Civil Rights Activist and made significant contributions to African-American literature and literary traditions. It's important that students were able to see this African-American and female trailblazer. This is positive for creating racial equity through representation. -
CPCC Holds The First Multicultural Show
The first multicultural fashion show was held to promote cultural diversity and educate students on cultures other than their own. This event took place shortly after the school had its first International Student Festival on May 9th the same year. Students were exposed to non-American fashion and this diversity in representation allows for more open-mindedness and less ethnocentrism. It also allowed international students to feel a sense of inclusion. It's positive for racial equity. -
Students and Faculty sign-on to be extras in a feature film
CPCC faculty, staff and students serve as extras in the movie Eddie, starring Whoopi Goldberg; producers gave $3 to the Foundation for each extra -
President George W. Bush visits CPCC
President Bush announced national workforce development initiatives to a crowd of 600. This was apart of a initiative to decrease unemployment and increase upward mobility which benefited people of color and low-income communities. [Link text]Bush's Initiatives -
Mecklenburg county voters approved $210 million in bonds for land purchases, new construction, and renovations at the colleges 6 campuses
It's important to note that colleges and universities can cause gentrification and sideline residents, however since CPCC is a community college, it may mean better access to education and job training for members of these communities. -
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Black Lives Matter Movement
Black Lives Matter (BLM), international social movement, formed in the United States in 2013, dedicated to fighting racism and anti-Black violence, especially in the form of police brutality. -
Andraya Williams, an African-American and transgender student, says she was harassed by CPCC security
Williams was exiting the bathroom and a female security guard confronted her and asked if she was male of female. The guard laughed at her answer, called for back-up and Williams was escorted off campus after presenting her student ID and told not to come back. In 2014, CPCC didn't have a policy or culture to ensure equity for those of diverse gender identities. It was a negative event in terms of equity but led to discussions and the slating of a gender neutral bathroom. -
CPCC joins for the first time with Queens,UNCC,Johnson C. Smith, and Johnson and Wales for the CRJC program
CRJC is a racial healing and equity program that hosts racial healing circles, talks with Drs' and historians about charlottes racial history good and bad, and even did a voter engagement activity last year for the election. The CRJC group also made a social media platform where people could see the members of the group and what we do. This has positively affected CPCC because it is bringing open conversations about sensitive issues such as race and is also bringing up how to deal with them. -
Bank of America commits $1 million to college for jobs initiative
CPCC partnered with Bank of America to help students of color successfully complete the education and training necessary to enter the workforce and embark on a path to success in the Charlotte region. They wanted to address the underlying racial issues facing communities of color that have been disproportionately impacted by the current health crisis. This is positive for racial healing in CPCC because this helps issues that people may not know about and bringing them to light.
