In Charlotte, North Carolina, three predominantly Black neighborhoods facing the pressures of gentrification began building social connection in ways that reclaim power and self-efficacy.
The Council on Black Health and Healthy Places by Design worked with community leaders from the Grier Heights, Hidden Valley, and Washington Heights neighborhoods in Charlotte, North Carolina, to launch a community-led pilot project, Supporting Black Health through Socially Connected Communities, with the goal of creating safe places for people to connect. The project was grounded in the Council on Black Health’s Black Health Bill of Rights and Healthy Places by Design’s Socially Connected Communities: Solutions to Social Isolation.
We designed a process whereby each community leader identified three or four people from their neighborhoods to work as a team at building social cohesion where they live. We then facilitated a series of virtual and in-person sessions where the teams decided how they wanted to create inclusive, healthy community spaces for bringing people together while honoring the history and unique strengths of their community.
At the planning sessions, community leaders voiced concern about the potential for gentrification to displace current residents. They discussed housing pressures, as rents remained high and home prices continued to increase beyond the reach of many people. Transportation issues—including the need for better sidewalks—also ranked high among residents’ concerns. But, as they reflected on Black Health Bill of Rights, they also expressed a strong sense of pride in the history of their neighborhoods that served as a foundation for cultivating a healthy community identity.
With technical assistance from Healthy Places by Design and the Council on Black Health, each neighborhood team developed a plan to foster social connection in their community, anchored around reviving places of historical significance and telling inspiring stories of success and resilience. In doing so, these neighborhoods are reclaiming their narratives and redefining the legacies of their communities. Not only are they creating places of belonging, but they are leaning into their uniqueness, giving residents reasons to be a proud part of the community.
The neighborhood teams are now poised to carry their momentum forward:
In Washington Heights, neighborhood leaders honor their community’s history while infusing new energy into places of historical significance to Black residents. In 2021, the neighborhood created a community gathering space on the site of the Ritz Theater, which served the Black community during segregation. The space offers residents new ways to connect—such as outdoor movies and other events—while incorporating quotes from Black leaders to inspire dignity and a sense of belonging for all residents. Through the pilot project, neighborhood leaders developed a plan to create historic walking and biking tours, combining healthy activity with opportunities for social connection.
Grier Heights is a historically Black community whose hub is the Grier Heights Community Center, built in 1927 as a Rosenwald school and eventually renovated and repurposed. As part of the pilot project, neighborhood leaders developed a plan to build social connection and health through the community garden and other programming around the Grier Heights Community Center. They are also exploring ways to elevate oral history.
Hidden Valley residents are proud of their neighborhood, which they describe as diverse and vibrant, with many families, proximity to shopping and to the highway, and sidewalks and trees. Through the pilot project, neighborhood leaders rallied partners to develop a plan that will bring healthy events and programming to Faith CME Church, where the outdoor walking path, garden, orchard, and food pantry combine to create an inclusive hub in the community.
Ultimately, leaders in these Charlotte neighborhoods understand that building connection and solidarity within the community is essential both for the health of residents and for having a collective voice and influence amid broader forces of change. The key is to build social cohesion and solidarity to leverage their collective voice and vision as a means to strengthen the community.