LaVerne Miller oral history interview, 2006 November 26
Description
LaVerne Miller discusses her experiences growing up in Second Ward, a predominantly African American neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the 1950s and 1960s. She describes the communal support for each family and how residents felt that it was safe enough to let kids roam the neighborhood and leave their doors unlocked. Mrs. Miller also relates her experiences at segregated Second Ward High School, the city's original high school for African Americans, including school clubs she was involved in and homecoming. She explains that the teachers went beyond their required duties to help students and describes attending the school as a wonderful educational experience. As the interview concludes, Mrs. Miller discusses how urban renewal dismantled Second Ward, the closing of Second Ward High School, and her belief that the break up of the neighborhood ultimately harmed Charlotte's entire African American community.
