Cynthia Horton oral history interview, 2016 March 16

Description

Cynthia Horton, a new member of the Optimist Park neighborhood, reflects on her childhood in Wilmington, North Carolina and notes regret that her decision to marry early prevented her from going to college. She discusses her impression that the Optimist Park neighborhood is gentrifying and predicts that current residents will not be able to continue to live in the area. Ms. Horton talks about her work at University Meadows Elementary School as a head cook, and her passion for working with children. She also describes the work she has done through her church, New St. John's Baptist Church, and discusses the quality of life in Optimist Park, noting the area's many older residents. Ms. Horton remarks on significant positive change in Charlotte, including the construction of new parks, schools, and neighborhoods.

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Small But Significant : The Optimist Park Community

Details

Title: Cynthia Horton oral history interview, 2016 March 16
Interviewee: Horton, Cynthia, 1955-
Interviewer: Tucker, Kayla
Contributor: Garcia, Maria
Place of Publication: Charlotte, North Carolina
Publisher: J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections and University Archives, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Date of Interview: 2016-03-16
Physical Description: 1 audio file (38:07) : digital, MP3
Object Type: sound recording-nonmusical
Genre: spoken word
Language: eng
Interviewee Biography: Cynthia Horton was a 61-year-old woman at the time of interview, which took place in her home in the Optimist Park neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina. She was born in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1955. She was educated at John T. Hoggard High School in Wilmington, and was employed as head cook for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and as a sewing machine operator at Century Mills and Moritz Manufacturing.
Abstract: Cynthia Horton, a new member of the Optimist Park neighborhood, reflects on her childhood in Wilmington, North Carolina and notes regret that her decision to marry early prevented her from going to college. She discusses her impression that the Optimist Park neighborhood is gentrifying and predicts that current residents will not be able to continue to live in the area. Ms. Horton talks about her work at University Meadows Elementary School as a head cook, and her passion for working with children. She also describes the work she has done through her church, New St. John's Baptist Church, and discusses the quality of life in Optimist Park, noting the area's many older residents. Ms. Horton remarks on significant positive change in Charlotte, including the construction of new parks, schools, and neighborhoods.
Digital Object Notes: MP3 access copy created on ingest from WAV preservation master. Interview originally recorded on Zoom H5 digital recorder with XY modular mic.
Interviewee Occupations: Cooks
Clothing workers
Subjects--Names: Horton, Cynthia, 1955-
Subjects--Organizations: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Subjects--Topics: Gentrification
Cities and towns--Growth
African American families
African American neighborhoods
Urban poor--Social conditions
Subjects--Geographic: North Carolina--Charlotte
North Carolina--Charlotte--Optimist Park
Subjects--Genre: Interviews
Oral histories
Coverage--Dates: 1950-2020
Digital Collection Title: UNC Charlotte Honors College and Charlotte Action Research Project interviews on Charlotte neighborhoods
Digital Collection Series Title: Small but significant : The Optimist Park community
Rights: This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
This material is protected by copyright. Copyright is held by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Internet Media Type: audio/mpeg
Identifier: CH-HO0005
Handle URL: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/uncc:1432

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