Vera and Darius Swann were plaintiffs in the landmark Supreme Court case Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education.
Foxx would eventually be mayor of Charlotte and transportation secretary for President Obama. As a child, he’d hear stories about the school from his mother, who graduated in the 1960s, and other family members. They took pride in West Charlotte alumni who went on to succeed in business, education and sports.
"That’s a vivid memory for me — the pressure that was being put on him by certain detractors, including crank phone calls and death threats," recalls Nelson, who works with the C.D. Spangler Foundation. "West Charlotte High School didn’t need to be desegregated to be a great school. It already was," Martin said."What happened was we got to be part of a great school that wouldn’t have been an option to us before desegregation and busing."By that time CMS and West Charlotte had a national reputation for making desegregation work.
But the community changed. Newcomers streamed in who wanted neighborhood schools and knew nothing about Swann and its aftermath. Explosive suburban growth and increasing traffic made busing more burdensome.
WFAE Bussing is only necessary because of 'red lining' tactics that kept black people out of 'desirable' neighborhoods. Local schools are best, but keeping 'certain' people out of your neighborhood is the worst.
WFAE Growing up in Cherryville we heard the stories. We had our state SGA meeting at West Charlotte and I was envious.
WFAE Changed lives for who? Most of the poor people within Charlotte city limits are black, black folks live in redlined communities and are as a result have less or no wealth like whites from other communities. Unfortunately the black elite have bought into the idea they were bettr
WFAE Crash course in American supremacy.