Tells the story of growth on Charlotte's west side from the 1920s through the 1950s, a time when the city's African American population was not only growing but also shifting from the center city to the new neighborhoods being built on the west side of time. Describes the multi-class community fashioned by west side residents in the 1920s and 1930s. Explores the school culture that developed by the highly qualified staff at West Charlotte High School, which opened in 1938, and which became a key focus of community activities and aspirations. Covers early civil rights activities, reactions to the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board decision and examines the dilemma faced by African American education advocates: whether to focus on integration, or on securing more resources for all-black schools.
