At a Black History Month panel, former students and teachers of West Charlotte High reflected on a time when the school symbolized Black academic excellence and community pride. Their stories revealed both the power of segregated Black educational spaces and the cultural cost of desegregation — raising a pressing question: how do we restore the rigor, presentation, and excellence that once defined West Charlotte?

The first-ever Charlotte Black Women’s Business Directory is dropping this January—bringing 500+ Black women-owned brands into 100+ hotspot locations across the city. In a year where Black women faced record unemployment, this print edition is more than visibility—it’s a lifeline.

America’s progress is measured like coming from -98 to 0 — still far from the abundance we deserve. We keep pouring from our gourds until nothing is left for our own households, and then wonder why the village is starving. The truth is, scarcity was never meant to be our economic model. What happens when we flip the script — when we plant beside the well, refill our gourd, and teach the next generation to draw?

“I Know We Hate Babylon…and valid!” Let me start here, sis: I know we hate Babylon. Believe me, I’m the first one side-eyeing every time...

In early 2025, Target—the big-box giant once praised for its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) commitments—made a stunning pivot. The company quietly scaled back several of its DEI initiatives, including parts of its much-publicized $2 billion investment in Black-owned businesses, bowing to political pressure in a shifting national climate. For many, it was more than a policy change—it was a betrayal. The response was swift and unapologetic. From Ash Wednesday to Activis