City Integration
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 had put the full weight of the Federal government on the side of equal access for all citizens to public accommodations and the voting booth. The year of 1965 was a big year for Charlotte North Carolina. In that year the first African American man, Fred D. Alexander, was elected to the Charlotte City Council. Alexander personified a new age in which blacks took advantage of opportunities. He focused on getting African Americans the right to vote. Beginning in the 1930s, Fred Alexander devoted great amounts of time to registering African Americans to vote. Alexander helped to found the Citizens’ Committee for Political Action , an organization established in 1932 that pushed to increase political participation by African Americans. The political culture of Charlotte started to change after 1950, mainly because of voluntary integration of public facilities and businesses in Charlotte in 1963.
The mayor of Charlotte from 1961 to 1969, Mayor Brookshire, best represents charlotte's obliging attitude of white business elite on racial issues. On racial issues Brookshire was a moderate. He favored peaceful reconciliation and looked upon moderates in the African American community as his principal allies.Mayor Brookshire knew that demonstrations were occurring in Raleigh, Durham, and Greensboro, and that large numbers of protesters were being arrested. The mayor thought that decisive action needed to be taken in order to keep the peace. So he asked the president of the Chamber of Commerce , to call a meeting of the Chamber's executive committee. The chamber approved a resolution on May 23rd calling upon businesses in the community to open their doors voluntarily to African American. Charlotte Observer state “May 23, 1963, could be the day leading to a major breakthrough in human relationships for the Queen City and the Carolinas.”
The mayor of Charlotte from 1961 to 1969, Mayor Brookshire, best represents charlotte's obliging attitude of white business elite on racial issues. On racial issues Brookshire was a moderate. He favored peaceful reconciliation and looked upon moderates in the African American community as his principal allies.Mayor Brookshire knew that demonstrations were occurring in Raleigh, Durham, and Greensboro, and that large numbers of protesters were being arrested. The mayor thought that decisive action needed to be taken in order to keep the peace. So he asked the president of the Chamber of Commerce , to call a meeting of the Chamber's executive committee. The chamber approved a resolution on May 23rd calling upon businesses in the community to open their doors voluntarily to African American. Charlotte Observer state “May 23, 1963, could be the day leading to a major breakthrough in human relationships for the Queen City and the Carolinas.”