A historian looks into Charlotte’s future and the challenges we face right now

The New South, which started after the Civil War and has continued into the 21st Century, is defined by its ability to continuously reinvent itself, said Brenda Tindal, the Levine Museum of the New South’s historian since 2015.

Charlotte and much of the New South’s industries, she says, have gone from “farm to factory to finance,” as is narrated in the museum’s main exhibit.

Charlotte’s New South past.

Farming: In the 1860s, the South was without any dominant industry besides agriculture, and much of the investment in the industry was in Northerners’ hands.

Factory: That reliance on the North changed in the 1920s, with the rise of the textile industry.

It “was an important turning point in the Southern economy, for sure,” Tindal says.

Finance: As the area’s textile business went the way of the dodo bird, the finance industry swooped in during the 1970s, leading to a population boom. The Charlotte region’s population tripled between 1970 and 2010.

What is it like to be a New Southerner in Charlotte today?

Diversity: Throughout the New South’s evolution, race has shaped what it means to be a Southerner, Tindal said.

Charlotte – and the South in general – has a diverse make-up now, Tindal said, but that’s in stark contrast to the region’s demographic make-up before the 1970s.

Before then, the area’s political and social landscape made the South unappealing to immigrants and many Northerners, and it wasn’t until those issues were addressed that people outside of the area decided to move far below the Mason-Dixon line, she said.

“To me, that is perhaps one of the most important distinctions between the nascent, early years of the New South and where we are today because the global features help diversify what it means to live in the South,” she said.

That can be seen even in Charlotte’s cuisine, she said, mentioning Central Avenue’s diverse food offerings.

But with the good comes some room for improvement, she said. That diversity tends to be concentrated in certain areas. Full integration of the diverse community has yet to fully occur.

The future of the New South.

Growing connectivity: Tindal sees growth in the technology sector – with the arrival of Google Fiber — as well as the increase in breweries in the city as developments that could further the Charlotte community’s connectivity.

“Those are all sort of examples of how millennials are sort of reshaping how we do business — and not only how we do business in the South, but how we build our communities,” she said.

“I’ve gone to a number of the breweries … and you bring people together…who maybe haven’t traditionally been in the same kind of social environment,” she said.

Globalization: Tindal says to expect the New South to become even more globalized in the coming years.

Transportation: Getting places can be pretty cumbersome now, but as the light rail grows, that will change, Tindal said.

Challenges facing this New South city.

Cultural clashes: While the globalization is a good thing for the city, Tindal said she worries about an increasing potential for cultural clashes.

But, she said, Charlotte has done such a good job of having these tough conversations before anger and anxieties boil over that she’s hopeful any issues will be resolved before they start to fester.

Following prosecutors’ decision not to have a retrial after the mistrial of CMPD Officer Randall Kerrick in the shooting death of Jonathan Ferrell, “There’s a reason why our city didn’t explode, and I think it has something to do with that collaborative commitment to the community settling community issues,” she said.

Education system: “Charlotte was a model city for integrating public schools, with the Swan decision in ’71 [Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education]” Tindal said. “And I think where we are right now is at a crossroads, in terms of, ‘How do we continue to capitalize on the diversity that’s part of the character of Charlotte if our schools don’t have the kinds of mechanisms in place to ensure a more diverse pool of students?’

“That’s going to continue to be a challenge until we figure that out.”

Affordable housing: While Charlotte has a reputation for being affordable, Tindal said that as Charlotte becomes more of a destination city, it will be important to prevent luxury apartments from overtaking middle class and working class neighborhoods.

Apartment prices have already risen dramatically since 2008, she said.

Gentrification: Tindal said gentrification can sometimes lead to the destruction of items, places and communities of historical significance, a concerning issue for a historian. It also does untold damage to the communities living there, she said.

This issue — which generally has damaged people of color — has roots in Charlotte history, with the introduction of urban renewal into the city in the 1960s, Tindal said, mentioning Brooklyn Village as an example.

Feature photo: David T. Foster III, Charlotte Observer Photo 2: Brend Tindal Photo 3,4: Levine Museum of the New South

This story was originally published July 26, 2016 at 11:01 PM with the headline "A historian looks into Charlotte’s future and the challenges we face right now."