By Adrienne Martinez, CRC Member, with contributions from community leaders How many of us only pay attention or vote in presidential election years? A LOT of us, as it turns out. This hasn’t always been the case. Historically speaking, midterm elections attracted more voters than presidential elections. The value of…

Justin Lyons, CRC Member You may be familiar with the mantra “start where you are,” meaning each of us can contribute to our community with a few small actions. For residents looking to take that next step, the City of Charlotte offers two great programs — Civic Leadership Academy (CLA)…

By Sam Smith Jr., CRC Member What is the Charlotte Unified Development Ordinance (UDO)? Charlotte’s UDO simplifies, consolidates, and updates the regulations that guide Charlotte’s development into a single document. It also lifts up the vision and policy portion of the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan. Let’s take a moment…

By Laura Leftwich, CRC Member and Emily Kunze, City Manager’s Office The Charlotte Legacy Commission, a 15-person committee appointed by Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles and the City Council, convened in July 2020. The commission was charged with engaging in a comprehensive study of street names and monuments in the City…

Click here to get the CRC newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. Nondiscrimination Ordinance Protections Expanded By Justin Lyons In early August, Charlotte’s City Council unanimously approved the expanded legal protections to residents, specifically those who come from marginalized communities. …

Greeting with fist-bumps instead of hugs, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee (CRC) came together in July for their…

By Dr. Scott Gartlan, CRC Member In the Community Spotlight, the CRC recognizes organizations and people supporting our community with missions that align with the work and mission of the CRC. Earlier this year, the Prodigal Son Foundation was one of 17 community-based organizations that received a grant through the…

By Sam Smith Jr., CRC Member The Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan is a long-range road map that will guide and prepare the city for future growth and development over the next several decades. With the growth Charlotte is facing and the fact that the city is ranked America’s 15th…

By Caitlin Whalan, Council for Children’s Rights and in collaboration with Laura Leftwich, CRC Member During the 2019–2020 school year, about seven million students nationwide received some measure of special education services. While this number is staggering, it still only accounts for those students whose needs have actually been identified…