This Juneteenth, what does true freedom look like for Black Charlotteans?

For Mia Johnson, freedom represents the ability to live, not just survive.

For Latoya Green, freedom is the ability to express herself without repercussions.

Kenny Robinson, who heads an organization helping people reenter society after incarceration, says freedom means Black Charlotteans having equal opportunities to provide for themselves and their families.

Their reflections on freedom come as the nation prepares to celebrate Juneteenth, the federal holiday commemorating the date the last enslaved people in the country were notified of their freedom. But amid the celebration, some today are questioning if the gains made in the post-Civil Rights era are in jeopardy, both on a national and local level. The Trump administration’s attacks on historic policies fostering diversity, equity and inclusion have many people on edge.

In Charlotte, one organization is taking steps to help community members manage that unease by realizing their own power.

More than 100 Black Charlotteans have responded to a survey conducted by the nonprofit, For The Struggle. The west Charlotte-based organization is collecting data through the survey to help create an agenda about the issues that matter most to them and to hold local officials accountable.

“Yes, we’re celebrating freedom and unity and culture and identity, but in order for us to continue to move forward, we have to understand that history and how it heavily plays into what we’re dealing with today,” Alesha Brown, For The Struggle’s founder, said. “So celebrating history, but then also simultaneously celebrating our wins as we continue to go on, as we continue to create history, as we continue to break barriers as we continue to fight for basic rights.”

Some believe they have good reason to feel uncomfortable.

In the past five months, the Trump administration has sought to eliminate many long-established programs and policies aligned with basic civil rights protections — for contractors, for hiring, admissions, workplace discrimination — that have been in place since the 1960s. With funding to support these programs — from the arts to nonprofits — being drastically cut or eliminated, hundreds have held rallies in protest.

The group hopes to receive 1,000 responses to its survey by the end of the month and will host town halls in the fall, using the information gathered.

Affordable housing, youth services and opportunities, and public safety and policing are among the top priorities for 100 respondents so far, organizers say.

“We’re fighting back, and we’re taking this into our own hands and not allowing people to shape how we show up, which is another way that our voices (are) often silenced,” Brandi Williams, a project director working with youth for the nonprofit, said.

The Charlotte Observer checked in with respondents to share insight on what they want and how they are feeling during this Juneteenth.

A desire to be heard

Last year, Charlotte invested $650 million in public dollars to renovate Bank of America stadium. It helped secure the presence of the Carolina Panthers, said Robinson, who runs the nonprofit Freedom Fighting Missionaries. This renovation was paid for with earmarked funds from the city’s hospitality tax that can be spent only on certain tourism-related projects.

But, he added, with nearly 5,500 mostly Black students within the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools who are homeless, it speaks to how public officials show up for the Black community.

Despite the majority of Charlotte’s public officials being African-American, Robinson says the needle for some of the community’s most pressing issues isn’t moving.

“No matter how much we ring the alarm, how much we protest, how much we weep and wail, our voices ... continue to go unheard and the advancement of the Black community continues to be stagnant or at a slow crawl compared to the rest of the city,” he said.

Affordable housing affects all of Charlotte, but hits hard for communities that have been historically disadvantaged, For The Struggle organizers say.

Gregory Miller, 54, who is homeless, says he has been on the waiting list for public housing for the past five years.

He’d love to have his own place, but his disability checks don’t provide the income needed to afford an apartment. Instead, he stays with family members dreaming of the day he can turn the keys to his own apartment.

“I just think that they need to prioritize what is right and what is wrong,” Miller said of public officials. “I think that they could take on more of a hands-on approach, instead of sitting idly by and letting people get displaced and have to move out of Mecklenburg County because the wait list is so long. We are tired of having questions.”

Latoya Green, 48, would like to see more access to affordable and quality health care. From her time working in doctor’s offices as a medical assistant, she’s seen first-hand how Black patients are treated compared with their white counterparts.

Green says when it comes to advocating for her community, she feels heard only when she sees action. She hopes For the Struggle’s survey will act as an agent of change.

“I want them to act like it’s not just about data,” Green said. “Use the information to inform action. This survey I think is a tool to empower and also kind of ensure that community-driven solutions are at the center of the fight.”

The issue isn’t exclusive to Charlotte, Brown said, and it doesn’t surprise her that people feel unheard. The problem stems from some public officials not meeting people where they are.

“They’re talking about economic development and developing corridors and all this other stuff. And people are like, ‘Hell, I’m just trying to keep my lights on every month’,” she said.

Brown said a recurring problem in Charlotte is Black public officials running on the Black vote, but then forgetting about the Black community once they get into office.

“We’ve all sat in the town halls, in the forums and the community meetings, and we hear the same things over and over and over again… it just gets old and it gets redundant,” she said. “I think by creating an actual agenda, we are able to have something in writing that we can use to hold our elected officials accountable.”

Freedom in Charlotte is living, not just surviving

But the ability to attend a Mecklenburg County commissioners meeting, or collaborate with nonprofit organizations to speak her mind without fear is the true definition of freedom to her locally.

“I believe history shows us that in the past, when our grandparents or great grandparents were out there trying to make a change, they weren’t allowed to do that. They were in prison for it, they were in trouble for it, they were beat for it, they were sprayed with pepper spray or maced for it,” she said. “Freedom is being able to (speak out) vocally, and not have to worry about those things.”

Brown said she isn’t as concerned about the DEI cutbacks because there is often a misunderstanding of how they affect Black people. White women are the main beneficiaries of DEI policy, she said. Having these policies helped Black people obtain jobs they often already were overqualified for, she said.

Mia Johnson, 28, was renting a home last year on Beatties Ford Road for herself and her daughter. The home was near a good school where she was planning to enroll her daughter.

But when her lease came up, the rent combined with the maintenance of owning a home was out of her price range — forcing her to move.

Without a permanent address, there is so much people can’t do, she said. Enrolling kids in school or getting a driver’s license requires a verifiable address. And finding housing isn’t cheap. The price of rental applications pile up over time.

Johnson wants to see the city partner with apartment complexes or property owners to alleviate challenges that lead to home insecurity or displacement — helping to waive fees or down payment assistance.

“(Freedom is) having resources, having opportunities,” she said. “And not in a way where you have to pay or come out of your way to do the most to prosper or progress in life. It should be easier than it is.”

Robinson said he hopes Black Charlotteans look at the Juneteenth holiday with a sense of resilience, persistence and determination.

“With our heads held high, shoulders back, proud of our ancestors who preceded us and continue to push on in the spirit of freedom and the spirit of equal justice for all. Not just for Black people. For all of us in this country who have experienced poverty and been left behind. We will not hold our heads low. We will not bow and stoop. We will not give up. We will continue to march on, in spite of the things that are happening and in spite of the fear mongering that is coming down from the federal level.”

Click here to participate in For The Struggle’s survey.

This story was originally published June 13, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "This Juneteenth, what does true freedom look like for Black Charlotteans?."