Harvey Gantt’s challenge: ‘I’m counting on you ... you gotta do something’
“If you end the day not caring about anything except yourself, that’s one more day lost making this a great community.” –Former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt
On the morning of April 21, Harvey Gantt, local architect and the first African-American mayor of Charlotte, challenged a group of more than 650 Charlotteans to stay engaged and dive deeper into the community. The group was gathered for the monthly meeting of CreativeMornings/Charlotte.
Speaking on the topic of “Beyond,” Gantt recounted his childhood, career as an architect and his race against Senator Jesse Helms in 1990.
Gantt also threw down the gauntlet to the next generation of Queen City change makers: Work hard to make the promise of a better life real for those coming after you.
“We live in a great city, but it’s only going to get better — not by how many buildings we build or how much money people make in businesses, but how well we reach out and engage others, and how much we care about issues of diversity and poverty and people who still can’t see the promise because there are so many obstacles in their way,” said Gantt. “You know what? I’m counting on you … you gotta do something.”
The meeting’s setting was especially fitting for the message of pushing beyond convention. The group convened at Camp North End, a redevelopment project north of uptown Charlotte. The project sits on a historic 75-acre site originally used by Henry Ford to build Model T automobiles. Later, it was used as an assembly plant for Hercules and Nike missiles.
Purchased last year by ATCO Properties & Management, Camp North End is being reimagined as an “inspiring space for work, artistic expression, dining and hospitality, entertainment, recreation and community building.” To date, Hygge Coworking, Goodyear Arts and Junior Achievement of the Central Carolinas have announced projects at Camp North End, adding to a renaissance already underway in the North End.
If you were not in the room (or even if you were and just want to relive it), here are two ways you can experience Harvey Gantt’s question and answer session:
Watch a video of the morning’s event courtesy of Charlotte Star Room.
Or listen to the Charlotte is Creative Podcast featuring complete audio of the Q&A session.
Explore “Serendipity” with WFAE’S Nick de la Canal May 12!
Mark your calendar for the next meeting of CreativeMornings/Charlotte at 8:30 a.m. Friday, May 12. CreativeMornings returns to its usual home of Warehouse 242 for a morning of free coffee and breakfast foods along with live music, games and creative inspiration. The talk will focus on the subject of “Serendipity,” a topic shared by all 160+ CreativeMornings chapters around the world. Native Charlottean and WFAE reporter Nick de la Canal is the featured speaker. More information is available here.
Tickets for this event are free and can be claimed at CharlotteIsCreative.com at 9 a.m. sharp Monday, May 8. Mark your calendar and set your alarm — tickets go quickly!
Photos: Heather Liebler
This story was originally published April 30, 2017 at 11:49 PM with the headline "Harvey Gantt’s challenge: ‘I’m counting on you ... you gotta do something’."