How Charlotte’s new election map harms my strong Black neighborhood

It was the summer of 1981 when I moved to Hidden Valley. It was a beautiful community filled with fruit trees, a creek, swimming pools and basketball courts where we played until the street lights came on.

We had big fields where all the kids gathered to play football. I was excited to walk to school with my new friends, and no longer had to get up before dawn to ride a bus for what seemed like forever from West Boulevard to Sharon Elementary.

Hidden Valley looked out for its children, and some in Charlotte looked out for Hidden Valley. Shortly after I arrived, the county built a recreation center. On opening day, we raced to be the first inside — wow, a watermelon eating contest and basketball goals we could actually reach. It was safe space for kids and we had easy access to teams where we built forever friendships.

Here we are in 2021 and Hidden Valley residents like me feel betrayed by Charlotte City Council’s decision Monday to dilute the voting strength of our community. New election maps transfer predominately Black Hidden Valley from District 4 to mostly white District 1.

This city played a role in redlining and destroying the legacy around Hidden Valley. Once it’s destroyed, Hidden Valley will be a Cherry or Brooklyn-like afterthought.

But we are Hidden Valley strong.

We have faced the pressure to sell property because of flooding issues. We’ve been told by studies that Hidden Valley is a horrible place to live because of crime. Now, it’s the opinion of city leaders that redistricting is best for us. But it was elected officials who made the decisions that boxed this community in with traffic and who refused to invest in our overwhelmed schools or complete a study that might show the dangerous impact of not addressing neighborhood infrastructure. And we’re supposed to trust this group?

We are an educated, working-class community capable of adapting to change and welcoming newcomers. We are also capable of having a conversation before decisions are made by those who assume they know what’s in our best interest.

Over the past eight years Hidden Valley has not been a priority for our leaders. I’ve reached out for help with crime, schools and health services. The county failed to address the health crisis in this area. The city failed to show how its safety plan is being implemented in our area. And, Hidden Valley public schools have terrible stats.

These are not stones that I throw, but simply a progress report.

Monday’s City Council vote pushed this community of 15,000 further behind. We understand what drives home value and redistricting will cause long lasting harm to this community.

Those in leadership have repeatedly caused harm to this community. They invested $44 million in a park but didn’t include walking access to it. After approving $10 million in bonds, it took over a decade to get improvements to Sugar Creek recreation center. No walking access to that either.

I raised my children in Hidden Valley and like others here they grew up o be a doctor, a teacher, a firefighter and a business owner. Now, after 20 years, I’m the one hosting events and coaching neighborhood kids. I am Hidden Valley stakeholder and a community leader. We will continue to be a part of the discussion on issues that impact this valuable, but now vulnerable, community. We are Hidden Valley strong.