black attorney surprised by his treatment when he moved into a white neighhood

A movement takes root

Corbin-Mark dedicated most of his life to serving communities of color, particularly fighting against the systemic inequities baked into the daily life of his neighborhood.

Innovation with impact

Corbin-Mark always had a vision coming into focus as people tossed around ideas about implementation and approach. “Our action should not be without strategy,” he often told colleagues (and tweeted at least once ). His innovative thinking and ideas are what made him accomplish so much.

Who was the white man who saw a white woman running down the street?

Wayne McLurkin remembers the moment, maybe seven years ago, that he realized white people were moving into Biddleville. He was installing a storm door, looked over his shoulder and saw a white woman running down the street.

Who is the president of the neighborhood association?

Elliott Hipp, the neighborhood association’s president, takes notes as Rico Mungo delivers the treasurer’s report. The group rewrote its bylaws a few years ago to ensure the neighborhood’s diversity is reflected on its board.

How did the Federal Housing Administration promote class- and race-based segregation?

For a chunk of the 20th century, the Federal Housing Administration promoted class- and race-based segregation by discouraging loans in mixed-race and mixed-income neighborhoods. Even after race discrimination was outlawed, zoning laws and neighborhood covenants perpetuated homogeneity.

What city was the heart of the African American community?

Even if you’ve lived in Charlotte for years, you may never have heard of Brooklyn , which occupied the southern part of uptown Charlotte. With a thriving business district, it was the heart of the African-American community. In the 1960s, the city bulldozed Brooklyn in the name of urban renewal.

How old was Dorothy in Biddleville?

Biddleville is also home to Dorothy Counts-Scoggins, better known as Dorothy Counts, the 15-year-old girl who integrated Harding High in 1957 and became the protagonist in Charlotte’s most famous civil rights story. That day, she climbed the steps, head held high, as white students taunted and spat on her.

How old is McLurkin?

McLurkin is African-American, age 62, old enough that he once got in trouble at Ivey’s department store because he decided to see what water in the white drinking fountain tasted like. A lawyer, he splits his time between Washington D.C. and Charlotte, but plans to settle in a few years in the red brick house where he grew up, in Biddleville, ...

When did Biddleville become a crime?

Like inner-city neighborhoods across the country, the community was battered by crime that began rising in the 1970s as jobs migrated to the suburbs. It became worse in the 1980s and ’90s as cocaine and crack hit.