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🖤❤️💚 Juneteenth 2026 by QCT | Post #05: Mecklenburg's Enslaved Population Continues to Grow (1775) ✊🏾⛓️📜

2026-05-30T03:43:02.950-07:00

Hope to SEE you There!!! from Jay and https://charlottepilgrimagetour.com/ by #queencitytours

✊🏾🔥 Juneteenth 2026 by QCT | Post #04: Slavery Began in Mecklenburg County in 1764 🖤❤️💚

2026-05-26T22:10:44.669-07:00

Hope to SEE You There!!! from Jay and https://charlottepilgrimagetour.com/ by #queencitytours

✊🏾🔥 LET THE HEALING CONTINUE!!! 🔥✊🏾 🖤❤️💚 Juneteenth 2026 by QCT | Post #03 🖤❤️💚

2026-05-23T00:00:03.861-07:00

Hope to SEE You There!!! from Jay and https://charlottepilgrimagetour.com/ by #queencitytours

LET THE HEALING CONTINUE!!! Juneteenth 2026 by QCT - Post #02

2026-05-21T07:04:13.180-07:00

Hope to SEE you There!!! from Jay and https://charlottepilgrimagetour.com/ by #queencitytours

🪧 JUNETEENTH 2026 by QCT | Post #01 🛶 1526: Before 1619 – The First Enslaved Africans on the Carolina Coast

2026-05-19T21:21:12.518-07:00

🪧 JUNETEENTH 2026 by QCT | Post #01

🛶 1526: Before 1619 – The First Enslaved Africans on the Carolina Coast

Long before Jamestown or 1619, in 1526 Spanish official Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón tried to plant a colony called San Miguel de Gualdape somewhere along what is now the Georgia–South Carolina coast. With him came the first documented shipload of enslaved Africans to set foot in the future United States, forced into labor on land that would later be claimed as “Carolina.”

The colony collapsed within months—disease, hunger, and resistance tore it apart—and some of those Africans reportedly rebelled and escaped, disappearing into Native communities rather than returning to bondage. But the experiment left a blueprint: European powers had learned they could treat this coastline as a site for racial slavery and plantation labor more than a century before the English carved out North and South Carolina.

By the late 1600s, the English Province of Carolina faced a permanent labor hunger and turned that blueprint into policy. Planters first tried European indentured servants, then shifted heavily to enslaved Africans drawn through the Atlantic “triangular trade,” shipping manufactured goods to Africa, human beings to ports like Charleston and Wilmington, and rice, indigo, and lumber back to Europe. The Lords Proprietors baked slavery into the colony’s DNA with a headright system that awarded extra land for each person—especially enslaved Africans—brought into Carolina.

From the very beginning of what became North Carolina, Black presence here was not an accident; it was a calculated decision by European elites to build wealth on African labor. Juneteenth doesn’t just mark the end of enslavement in Texas in 1865—it sits on a 339‑year arc stretching all the way back to those first captive Africans forced onto the Carolina coast in 1526.

📅 Event Details
🚌 Tour: 28^th Annual QCT Charlotte Pilgrimage Tour by Queen City Tours^®
📍 Location: Charlotte, NC
🗓️ Dates: June 1–30, 2026 (Juneteenth)
🕒 Times: Daily @ 10:00 AM & 1:30 PM
🌐 Website: https://charlottepilgrimagetour.com
📞 Contact: info@queencitytours.com

📲 Hashtags
#Juneteenth2026 #QueenCityTours #CharlotteBlackHistory #Before1619 #1526To1865 #CarolinaCoast #AtlanticSlaveTrade #BlackHistoryMatters #TeachTheTruth #QCTLegacy #HiddenHistoryRevealed

📚 Sources:
https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/first-rebellion-of-enslaved-in-us
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/09/07/before-there-was-mystery-first-enslaved-africans-what-became-us
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Miguel_de_Gualdape
https://www.ncanchor.org/anchor/land-ownership-and-labor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_slavery_in_North_Carolina
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/juneteenth

Trend Magazine Online™ Summer May 2026 ☀️✈️ | Travel, Entertainment & Leisure News 🌍

2026-05-19T18:00:16.071-07:00

Trend Magazine Online™ Summer May 2026 ☀️✈️ | Travel, Entertainment & Leisure News 🌍

Happy Mother's Day 2026

2026-05-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

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2026-04-10T23:23:04.197-07:00

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✊🏾🚌 QCT Greensboro Slavery to Civil Rights Tour 2026

A powerful journey through resilience, struggle, and progress—from slavery to the Civil Rights Movement in North Carolina 📜🌿

✈️🌍 Exclusive Travel Interview: Dawn Ogden, ACC

Owner of Dawn’s Destinations shares expert insights, global travel tips, and client-focused planning from Allen, TX 📍🧳

🚀🌕 Artemis II Launch Day | Kennedy Space Center

NASA returns to deep space! Explore Central Florida’s role in space tourism and innovation 🛰️✨🌴

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✊🏾BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #15 Pioneers of Integration and Legacy: Dorothy Counts-Scoggins & Henry Harvey Boyd

2026-03-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

✊🏾BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #15

Pioneers of Integration and Legacy: Dorothy Counts-Scoggins & Henry Harvey Boyd

📚 Dorothy Counts-Scoggins (c.1942–)

Born into Charlotte's Black middle class, Dorothy Counts made history on September 4, 1957, as the first Black student to integrate Harding High School amid the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' delayed response to Brown v. Board of Education. Escorted by civil rights leader Dr. Reginald A. Hawkins—both facing rocks, spit, and racial slurs from a white mob—she endured four harrowing days before her parents withdrew her for safety, a moment captured in iconic photos that galvanized the civil rights movement. Undeterred, she graduated from Mary Washington High School in New York, earned degrees from Johnson C. Smith University and UNC Greensboro, built a career in business and international marketing, and returned to Charlotte as a diversity consultant, author, and speaker whose courage continues to inspire school integration efforts.

🎨 Henry Harvey Boyd (1944–)

Raised in Matthews' Crestdale neighborhood during segregation, Henry Harvey Boyd emerged as a prodigious Black artist, winning a Mecklenburg County Chamber of Commerce contest in 1964 at just 20 years old while working in the Charlotte Observer's art department. His winning design for the county seal masterfully blends Revolutionary War symbolism—the Mecklenburg Declaration of May 20, 1775, with its "hornet's nest" nickname for fierce local patriots—alongside modern elements like farm and office buildings flanked by oak branches, representing enduring heritage and future growth. Boyd's overlooked triumph as one of Charlotte's earliest Black graphic designers highlights quiet excellence in public service amid Jim Crow, with his seal enduring as the county's official emblem today.

🔗 Tickets & Info: charlottepilgrimagetour.com

📍 Charlotte, NC | 28^th Annual QCT Pilgrimage Tour^sm by #queencitytours

#DorothyCounts #HenryHarveyBoyd #CharlotteHistory #BHM2026 #CivilRightsIcons #IntegrationPioneers #BlackGraphicDesign #MecklenburgLegacy #QCTPilgrimageTour #HiddenFigures #BlackExcellence

📚 Sources:

https://digitalbranch.cmlibrary.org/engage-2020/look-back/women-of-the-movement/

https://1053rnb.com/4005297/a-look-in-charlottes-black-history-harvey-boyd/

https://blog.mecknc.gov/un-sealed/

https://www.cmstory.org/exhibits/african-american-album-volume-2-heritage/september-4-1957-dorothy-counts-harding-high

✊🏾BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #14 Pioneers of Catawba Presbytery & JCSU Founders

2026-03-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

✊🏾BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #14

Pioneers of Catawba Presbytery & JCSU Founders

⛪Rev. Samuel Carothers Alexander (1833–1901)

Rev. Samuel C. Alexander pastored Steele Creek and Pleasant Hill Presbyterian churches in Mecklenburg County during the Civil War era. Post-emancipation, he hosted worship for freedpeople in his home, donated land for McClintock Presbyterian Church—Charlotte's first Black Presbyterian congregation—and co-founded Catawba Presbytery (1866), the nation's first all-Black presbytery. As director of the newly chartered Freedmen's College (1867, later Biddle Institute and JCSU), he trained Black preachers and teachers to lead Reconstruction-era communities.

⛪Rev. Willis L. Miller (d. 1917)

Rev. Willis L. Miller co-founded Catawba Presbytery in 1866 with Alexander and Murchland, spinning off Black congregations like St. Lloyd Presbyterian from white parent churches such as Sharon. As associate director of Freedmen's College/JCSU (1867), he championed its mission to educate freedpeople as ministers and educators. His efforts built autonomous Black Presbyterian institutions that sustained worship, schools, and mutual aid amid Jim Crow Mecklenburg.

⛪Rev. Sidney Smith Murchland (1807–1880)

White ally Rev. Sidney S. Murchland, pastor at Bethany Presbyterian (Iredell, near Mecklenburg), donated land in 1865 for Freedom Presbyterian Church and Bethany School, aiding Black independence post-slavery. He co-organized Catawba Presbytery (1866), enabling churches like Murkland Presbyterian in Charlotte and supporting the 1867 founding of JCSU/Biddle Institute through presbytery networks. His interracial partnership advanced Black self-determination in faith and education.

🔗 Tickets & Tour Info: charlottepilgrimagetour.com

📍 Charlotte, NC | 28^th Annual QCT Pilgrimage Tour^sm

#BHM2026 #BlackFaithLeaders #JCSUHistory #CharlotteNC #CatawbaPresbytery #ReconstructionEra #BlackChurchHistory #PresbyterianLegacy #FreedmensEducation #HistoricCharlotte #TrailblazersOfFaith #QueenCityTours

📚 Sources:

https://sites.rootsweb.com/~ncschgs/mclntkch.htm

https://landmarkscommission.org/2016/12/13/st-lloyd-presbyterian-church-cemetery/

https://landmarkscommission.org/2016/12/19/murkland-presbyterian-church/

https://www.iredell.lib.nc.us/Blog.asp?IID=39

https://www.jcsu.edu/who-we-are/our-history

https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/16/johnson-c-smith-university-l-101

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #13 “Telling Our Story, Shaping Our Future”

2026-03-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #13

“Telling Our Story, Shaping Our Future”

🎟️ Celebrate legacy on the 28th Annual Pilgrimage Tour: charlottepilgrimagetour.com

📰 William Lee “Bill” Johnson (1918–1986)

Born during the height of segregation, William Lee “Bill” Johnson became Charlotte’s first Black mail carrier, breaking into a federal role long closed to Negro applicants. But his pathbreaking didn’t end there—he soon emerged as one of Charlotte’s earliest Black journalists, determined to amplify the stories, voices, and struggles of his community.

Johnson was instrumental in helping establish and grow The Charlotte Post, which became one of the city’s most vital Black newspaper institutions. Through his reporting, Johnson captured the pulse of Charlotte’s Black neighborhoods, documented grassroots civil rights battles, and elevated political and cultural change from a Black perspective. His dedication to truth-telling and access helped preserve the lived experience of Black Charlotte for future generations, while opening professional doors in both federal service and journalism.

🏛️ Eva McPherson Clayton (1934– )

Born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in North Carolina, Eva McPherson Clayton carved an indelible mark in political history when she became the first Black U.S. Representative from North Carolina since 1901 and the first Black woman ever elected to Congress from the state in 1992.

Representing North Carolina’s 1st District, she focused on fighting rural poverty, empowering small and minority farmers, and expanding food security for low-income communities. As a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee, she channeled vital federal resources toward those historically excluded from policy decisions.

Clayton’s career was forged through decades of community engagement and civil rights work. After Congress, she continued her global advocacy by serving in leadership at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, where she helped shape international anti-hunger policy. Her legacy reflects a commitment to justice that crossed local, national, and global borders.

#BHM2026 #QCTCharlotte #BlackHistoryMonth #TheCharlottePost #EvaClayton #BlackExcellence #CharlotteNC #CivilRightsPioneers #PoliticalTrailblazers #BlackMediaLegacy #AgriculturalJustice

📚 Sources:

https://avoice.cbcfinc.org/member/eva-m-clayton/

https://www.newruralproject.org/eva-clayton

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Clayton

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Charlotte_Post

https://www.cmstory.org/exhibits/hornets-nest-book-two/media

https://blackpast.org/african-american-newspapers/the-charlotte-post-1949
https://www.thecharlottepost.com/
https://www.ncpedia.org/charlotte-post

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #12 “Brothers in the Fight for Justice & Power”

2026-03-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #12

“Brothers in the Fight for Justice & Power”

🎟️ Celebrate legacy with us: charlottepilgrimagetour.com

🏛️ Fred Douglas Alexander (c.1920–2001)

Charlotte’s first modern-era Black City Council member (1965), Fred Alexander shattered barriers in Southern politics. A WWII vet and postal worker, he championed housing equity, school access, and desegregation. Despite surviving a 1965 KKK bombing, he continued his fight, later serving as mayor pro tem.

✊🏾 Kelly Miller Alexander, Sr. (1915–1985)

An NAACP titan and insurance executive, Kelly Alexander Sr. led Charlotte’s branch for 40+ years, helping win Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg. As state and national NAACP leader, he endured bombings but never backed down—securing generational wins for Black civil rights.

🔗 Tickets & Tour Info: charlottepilgrimagetour.com

📍 Charlotte, NC | 28^th Annual QCT Pilgrimage Tour^sm

#BHM2026 #QueenCityLegends #BlackCivicLeadership #NAACPHeroes #FredAlexander #KellyAlexanderSr #CharlotteHistory #CivilRightsPioneers #BlackExcellence

📚 Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_Alexander_Sr.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_D._Alexander

https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/16/johnson-c-smith-university-l-101

https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/kelly-miller-alexander-sr-1915-1985/

https://www.cmstory.org/exhibits/hornets-nest-book-two/politics

https://landmarkscommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Kelly-Alexander-House-DR_Aug-8-2025.pdf

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #11 “Breaking Barriers on Greens & Ground”

2026-03-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #11

“Breaking Barriers on Greens & Ground”
🎟️ Celebrate legacy with us: charlottepilgrimagetour.com

🏌🏾 Dr. (honorary) Charles Luther Sifford (1922–2015)
Born in Charlotte’s Woodlawn neighborhood, Charles Sifford caddied on segregated courses before conquering the United Negro Golf Association with 17 titles. In 1961, after pressure from ally Sammy Davis Jr., Sifford integrated the PGA Tour, breaking the "Caucasian-only" clause. He braved racist taunts, threats, and exclusion, yet triumphed at the 1967 Greater Hartford Open and 1975 L.A. Open, later claiming six Senior Tour victories. A mentor to Tiger Woods, Sifford received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a place in the World Golf Hall of Fame—cementing his legacy as golf’s racial pioneer.

🦷 Dr. Reginald Armistice Hawkins, DDS (1923–2007)
A Charlotte dentist, WWII veteran, and Presbyterian minister, Dr. Hawkins was a bold civil rights force. He helped desegregate Good Samaritan Hospital and led Charlotte lunch counter sit-ins. On Nov. 22, 1965, his home—along with those of NAACP leader Kelly Alexander Sr., his brother Fred Alexander, and attorney Julius Chambers—was bombed in retaliation for school integration lawsuits and voter activism. Undeterred, Hawkins ran for NC Governor in 1968 as the first major-party Black candidate, courageously demanding equality in the face of Klan opposition.

🎉 Honor their legacy during the
👉🏾 28^th Annual QCT Charlotte Pilgrimage Tour^sm – February 2026
🎟️ Tickets & info: charlottepilgrimagetour.com

🔗 charlottepilgrimagetour.com
#BlackHistoryMonth #CharlotteNC #CivilRightsPioneers #BlackGolf #CharlesSifford #ReginaldHawkins #BHM2026 #QCTNotables #Desegregation #PGAHistory #NCBlackLeaders #BlackLegacy

📚 Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Sifford
https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2024/02/20/remembering-legendary-charlie-sifford
https://genesisinvitational.com/news/charlie-siffords-lasting-legacy/
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2015660248/
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charlie_Sifford_1961.JPG
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_Hawkins
https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/hawkins-reginald-armistead
https://finding-aids.lib.unc.edu/00678/
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article288086960.html

Trend-Magazine-Online-Home-Spring-Mar-2026-Edition

2026-03-06T01:22:00.000-08:00

Trend-Magazine-Online-Home-Spring-Travel-2026

https://trendmagazineonline.com

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #10 Law, Legacy & Liberation: Builders of Black Progress ⚖️🎨🏛️🗞️

2026-02-19T17:55:00.000-08:00

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #10
Law, Legacy & Liberation: Builders of Black Progress ⚖️🎨🏛️🗞️

Two trailblazers whose brilliance shaped both the legal and artistic landscapes of Black Charlotte and beyond:

🔹 John T. Sanders (c. 1860–after 1936)
John T. Sanders became Charlotte’s first practicing Black attorney in 1906, breaking racial barriers in a deeply segregated legal system. Largely self-taught, he was soon known as the “Colored Financier” for his astonishing business empire: multiple drugstores, a hotel, a restaurant, a movie theater, a newspaper (Charlotte Advertiser), and real estate holdings that fueled the rise of neighborhoods like Washington Heights. A civic force, he co-founded the Cedar Grove Cemetery and championed the long-sought Colored YMCA in the 1930s. Today, Sanders Avenue near Johnson C. Smith University preserves his pioneering legacy in law, business, and uplift.

🔹 Dr. Selma Hortense Burke (1900–1995)
Mooresville-born Selma Burke carved her place in American memory through sculpture and service. Her 1940s bas-relief of President Franklin D. Roosevelt—completed from life—was widely believed to inspire the U.S. dime design but credit was given to John Sinnock; the U.S. engraver. Founder of the Selma Burke Art Center in Pittsburgh, she elevated generations of Black artists and challenged exclusion in the arts. In 1980, she unveiled her monumental bronze statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Charlotte’s Marshall Park, fusing artistic genius with civil-rights legacy.

🎉 Honor their legacy during the
👉🏾 28^th Annual QCT Charlotte Pilgrimage Tour^sm – February 2026
🎟️ Tickets & info: charlottepilgrimagetour.com

#BHM2026 #BlackCharlotte #JohnTSanders #SelmaBurke #CharlotteHistory #CivilRightsLegacy #WashingtonHeightsCLT #BlackSculptor #ColoredFinancier #QCTHeritage #BlackExcellence #HistoricCharlotte #CharlotteTours

📚 Sources:

https://meckdec.org/publications/DandelionNov-Dec04.pdf
https://www.amistadresearchcenter.org/artist/selma-burke
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/selma-burke
https://www.ncpedia.org/burke-selma-hortense
https://www.blackartistforward.com/post/selma-burke-s-flowers
https://newstoriesoldtowns.com/2016/09/29/dr-selma-burke/

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #09 Cultural Architects of Emancipation Memory & Mission 📖🎶🏛️

2026-02-19T17:49:00.000-08:00

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #09

Cultural Architects of Emancipation Memory & Mission 📖🎶🏛️

🔹 Marie Louise Clay Clinton (1871–1934)
Educator, Fisk Jubilee Singer, and national missionary leader, Marie L. Clinton helped shape Black youth and religious life across the A.M.E. Zion Church. After settling in Charlotte in 1901, she founded the Buds of Promise Juvenile Society and led it for nearly 30 years. She also directed the Industrial Home for Colored Girls and represented Zion women internationally. Her legacy lives on in Marie L. Clinton Day, still observed by A.M.E. Zion churches each January.

🔹 Charles H. Watson (c.1870–unknown)
Editor of the 1915 booklet Colored Charlotte, Watson documented 50 years of Negro achievement since Emancipation. He co-developed Washington Heights, Charlotte’s first Black streetcar suburb, and opened Watson Park, one of the few Black recreation areas of the era. A trustee of Charlotte’s Colored Library, he promoted uplift through publishing, housing, and civic pride.

🎟️ Walk where they led during the
👉🏾 28^thAnnual QCT Charlotte Pilgrimage Tour^sm – Feb 2026
📍 Tickets: charlottepilgrimagetour.com

📚 Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_L._Clinton
https://goodnewsfirstchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/January2024-Final.pdf
https://amezion.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MarieLClinton_Program_2024_Final.pdf
https://kids.kiddle.co/Marie_L._Clinton
https://lib.digitalnc.org/record/25431/files/dirmeck_009690_000001.pdf
https://openlibrary.org/books/OL26452071M/Colored_Charlotte
https://charlotteudo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/SAMPLE_OaklawnPark_LocalDistrictDesignationReport_Final.pdf
https://guides.library.charlotte.edu/c.php?g=621704&p=5213318

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #06 Ink & Infantry: Builders of Black Voice and Valor 📰🎖️🔥

2026-02-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #06

Ink & Infantry: Builders of Black Voice and Valor 📰🎖️🔥

Two extraordinary men turned press and patriotism into tools of empowerment during Charlotte’s fragile post-Reconstruction years:

Col. C.S.L.A. (Charles Samuel Lafayette Alexander) Taylor (c.1849–1934)
• Born enslaved in the Carolinas; educated in Quaker schools post-emancipation
• Worked as a shoemaker, musician, barber, dance instructor & fireman 🚒
• Elected Charlotte alderman (3rd Ward) in 1885, giving Black citizens a voice in city governance
• Founded Charlotte Light Infantry—one of NC’s first all-Black National Guard units
• Rose to lieutenant colonel in the Spanish–American War—among the state’s highest-ranking Black officers
• Spent decades building Black civic power in military, public service, and firefighting
• Buried with honor at Elmwood/Pinewood Cemetery among Charlotte’s Black trailblazers
W.C. “William Caswell” Smith (1854–1937)
• Founder & editor of the Charlotte Messenger—Queen City’s first Black secular newspaper 📰
• Amplified Black voices and exposed injustice starting in the 1880s
• Advocated moral leadership, civic discipline & political organizing via the press
• Documented segregation and economic racism in Charlotte life
• His legacy endures in the Black press tradition and public history circles

🎉 Honor their work and walk their paths this February on the
👉🏾 28^th Annual QCT Charlotte Pilgrimage Tour^sm 2026
🎟️ Reserve now: charlottepilgrimagetour.com

#BHM2026 #BlackCharlotte #ColTaylor #WCSmith #CharlotteMessenger #QCTHeritage #BlackPress #ReconstructionVoices #NCBlackHistory #VeteranLeadership #HiddenHistory #ElmwoodCemetery #CharlotteTours #TrailblazersOfValor

📚 Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._S._L._A._Taylor
https://legeros.com/history/ebf/
https://www.charlottenc.gov/CS-Prep/City-News/The-Neptunes-Black-Firefighters
https://guides.library.charlotte.edu/c.php?g=450481&p=3075952

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #07 Healing, Diplomacy & Faith: Anchors of Uplift 🩺🌍✝️

2026-02-19T17:36:00.000-08:00

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #07
Healing, Diplomacy & Faith: Anchors of Uplift 🩺🌍✝️

This Black History Month, we honor two visionary sons of the 1859 generation—builders of medicine, global service, and spiritual fortitude in the face of deep racial adversity:

Dr. John Taylor “J. T.” Williams (1859–1924)
• Born free in Cumberland County, NC, and educated at Myers Street School & Lincoln University
• Among NC’s first Black physicians (Leonard Medical School, 1891); performed surgeries at Good Samaritan Hospital 🏥
• Owned the Queen City Drug Store in Old Brooklyn (2nd Ward) and mentored Black medical talent
• Served as Charlotte alderman, U.S. consul to Sierra Leone, and co-founded the Mecklenburg Investment Company
• Rooted in Grace A.M.E. Zion and the thriving Myers Street community
• Legacy lives on at J. T. Williams Middle School, carrying his name and mission
Bishop George Wylie Clinton (1859–1921)
• Born in Lancaster, SC; educated in Freedmen’s Bureau schools
• Rose to lead the A.M.E. Zion Church from Salisbury, NC
• Editor of The Star of Zion and leading church historian
• Founded Clinton College in Rock Hill, SC—expanding access to Black higher learning
• Vocal anti-lynching advocate and spiritual force against Jim Crow
• His faith-infused leadership empowered generations of Black Carolinians

🎉 Explore their lives and legacy this February during the
👉🏾 28^th Annual QCT Charlotte Pilgrimage Tour^sm 2026
🎟️ Get tickets at: charlottepilgrimagetour.com

#BHM2026 #BlackCharlotte #JTWilliams #GeorgeWylieClinton #AMEZionLegacy #QCTHeritage #DiplomatsAndDoctors #CharlotteFaith #HiddenHistory #ClintonCollege #LeonardMedicalSchool #CharlotteTours #BuildersOfUplift

📚 Sources:

https://www.cmstory.org/exhibits/mecklenburg-people/john-williams
https://www.museumofthenewsouth.org/digital/historic-brooklyn/williams-grace-mic/
https://charlotteledger.substack.com/p/historical-heavyweights-a-19th-century
https://meckmed.org/wp-content/uploads/MCMS-History-Part-2-Combined-4.pdf
http://landmarkscommission.org/2016/12/15/mecklenburg-investment-company-building/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/200218511/george-wylie-clinton
https://afamwilsonnc.com/2016/01/
https://umbrasearch.org/catalog?per_page=100&q=%22Clinton%2C+George+Wylie%2C+1859+1921%22&search_field=keyword&sort=creator_disp

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #08 Architects of Equity in Old Brooklyn 🏛️📐✂️💼

2026-02-19T17:33:00.000-08:00

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #08
Architects of Equity in Old Brooklyn 🏛️📐✂️💼

Meet two of the most visionary institution-builders to shape Charlotte’s historic Black Second Ward—pillars of dignity, enterprise, and community uplift in the face of Jim Crow segregation:

🔹 W.W. “William Warren” Smith (1862–1937)
Hailed as Charlotte’s first Black architect, W.W. Smith was a master builder whose vision extended beyond bricks and mortar. In 1921–22, he designed the iconic Mecklenburg Investment Company (MiCo) building—a three-story commercial hub in Second Ward’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood. Financed by a cooperative of elite Black businessmen, the MiCo served as a rare beacon of Black economic self-determination, housing offices for lawyers, physicians, barbers, insurance agents, fraternal lodges, and civic groups. More than a structure, MiCo was a monument to progress and resilience during the nadir of American race relations. Smith’s work still echoes today as a symbol of what Black enterprise could achieve under pressure.

🔹 Thaddeus “Thad” Lincoln Tate (1865–1951)
A master strategist in business and uplift, Thad L. Tate served as treasurer of the MiCo and was instrumental in grounding Black civic prosperity in the Second Ward. But he also left his mark by founding Charlotte’s Colored YMCA branch, a sanctuary where young Black men could find athletic training, literacy programs, spiritual mentorship, and social stability. His barbershop, situated in the heart of Old Brooklyn, drew some of Charlotte’s most powerful white leaders—including Gov. Cameron Morrison, department-store magnate William Henry Belk, and real estate mogul Edward Dilworth Latta. That racially transcendent clientele was a testament to Tate’s unmatched reputation for excellence and discretion. He became a quiet power broker at the intersection of race, respectability, and commerce—an unsung architect of interracial dialogue and long-term community investment.

🕯️ From blueprints to barbershops, from commerce to community, these two men carved out platforms for Black advancement in the shadow of oppression.

🎟️ Come walk the path they paved during the
👉🏾 28^th Annual QCT Charlotte Pilgrimage Tour^sm – February 2026
📍 Tickets: charlottepilgrimagetour.com

Footnote: The term “African-American” did not gain widespread usage until the late 1980s. During the era of the MiCo and Old Brooklyn, terms such as “Black,” “Negro” and “Colored” were the formal nomenclature used by and for Black communities. These historical terms are retained here for authenticity and context.

#OldBrooklyn #BlackArchitecture #BlackYMCA #CharlotteHistory #MiCoBuilding #ThadTate #WWSmith #HistoricSecondWard #BlackEnterprise #BHMCharlotte #QCT2026 #HeritageAndHope

📚 Sources:

https://www.museumofthenewsouth.org/digital/mecklenburg-investment-co-building/
https://www.brooklyncollectiveclt.org/history
https://landmarkscommission.org/2016/12/15/mecklenburg-investment-company-building/
https://charlotteledger.substack.com/p/brick-by-brick-he-built-structures
https://ncarchitects.lib.ncsu.edu/people/P000291
https://lostcharlotteblog.wordpress.com/2015/02/23/william-w-smith/

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #05

2026-02-15T18:06:00.000-08:00

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #05
Building Legacy Through Education & Uplift 🏫📜🕊️

Meet two men who turned classrooms, Congress, and community institutions into engines of empowerment for generations to come:

Henry Plummer Cheatham (1857–1935)
• Born enslaved in Henderson (Vance County), NC; educated at Freedmen’s schools & Shaw University
• U.S. Congressman for the 2nd District (1889–1893), known for advocating:
▪️ Federal aid to education
▪️ Pensions for Black Civil War veterans
▪️ National action against racial violence
• After Congress, led the Colored Orphan Asylum at Oxford for decades, extending his legacy through care and institution-building
Dr. George Edward Davis (c.1850–1909)
• Born in Wilmington, NC; became first Black professor at Biddle Memorial Institute (now Johnson C. Smith University) in 1885
• Taught natural sciences and mentored Charlotte’s emerging Black intellectual class
• Invested in housing near the campus and helped shape Charlotte’s early Black neighborhoods 🏘️
• A cornerstone figure in transforming Charlotte into a beacon of Black higher education

🎓 Walk in their footsteps on the
👉🏾 28^th Annual QCT Charlotte Pilgrimage Tour^sm 2026
🎟️ Tickets & info at: charlottepilgrimagetour.com

#BHM2026 #BlackCharlotte #HenryCheatham #GeorgeEdwardDavis #QCTHeritage #BlackEducators #BlackSecond #NCBlackHistory #CharlotteLegacy #InstitutionBuilders #BlackHigherEd #HiddenHistory #CharlotteTours #LegacyInAction

📚 Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_P._Cheatham
https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/henry-plummer-cheatham-1857-1935/
https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/cheatham-henry-plummer
https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2023/12/20/henry-p-cheatham-1857-1935-g-94
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_E._Davis
https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/16/george-e-davis-1862-1959-l-103

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #04

2026-02-15T17:55:00.000-08:00

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #04
Long Haul Legends of the Black Second 🏛️📚🔥

Two tenacious leaders who defied erasure and carried the Black Reconstruction voice well into the 20th century:

George Henry White (1852–1918)
• Born free in Rosedale, NC (Warren/Anson area); rose from barber to lawyer
• Served NC’s 2nd Congressional District (1897–1901)
• Last Black Southern congressman of the post-Reconstruction era
• Chaired House Post Office Committee — highest role held by a Black congressman until 1975 📬
• Opposed lynching, disfranchisement & peonage — a form of debt slavery that trapped Black laborers in cycles of unpaid work and economic control
• Delivered a powerful 1901 farewell speech forewarning Jim Crow
• Later founded a Black colony in Whitesboro, NY; died in Philadelphia
Robert Smalls Taylor (1846–1935)
• Born enslaved in Cleveland County, NC; gained freedom post-war
• Trained as an educator and served in NC House (1876, 1879)
• Principal and newspaper editor who battled school funding inequity ✍🏾
• Advocated for Black education during rollback of Reconstruction gains
• Lived to age 89, quietly resisting white supremacy with lifelong service

🎉 Discover their stories this February during the
👉🏾 28^th Annual QCT Charlotte Pilgrimage Tour^sm 2026
🎟️ Reserve now at: charlottepilgrimagetour.com

#BHM2026 #BlackCharlotte #BlackSecond #GeorgeHenryWhite #RobertSmallsTaylor #QCTHeritage #CongressionalVoices #NCBlackHistory #PeonageExplained #HiddenHistory #EducationJustice #CharlotteTours #ResistEraseReclaim

📚 Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Henry_White
https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/white-george-henry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Smalls_Taylor
https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/taylor-robert-smalls

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #03

2026-02-12T03:43:00.000-08:00

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #03
Voices of the “Black Second” – Congressmen of Courage 🏛️🗳️📜

Meet two groundbreaking statesmen who brought North Carolina’s Black Reconstruction voice to Washington:

John Adams Hyman (1840–1891)
• Born enslaved in Warren County, NC; bought his freedom by 1865
• Elected to NC Senate (1868, 1870), championed Black suffrage & public education
• First Black U.S. Representative from NC (2nd District, 1875–77)
• Denounced lynching & pushed for federal support of Southern schools
• Passed at 51 after battling political retaliation & financial hardship
James Edward O’Hara (1844–1905)
• Born free in New Bern to Jamaican and Irish parents
• Self-taught legal scholar; passed NC bar in 1873 amid racial exclusion
• NC House (1883), then U.S. House (2nd District, 1883–87), succeeding Hyman
• Advocated for the 1883 Civil Rights Bill & equal rail accommodations 🚂
• Practiced law, taught, and passed away in London at 61

🎉 Walk in their footsteps this February during the
👉🏾 28^th Annual QCT Charlotte Pilgrimage Tour^sm 2026
🎟️ Reserve now at: charlottepilgrimagetour.com

#BHM2026 #BlackCharlotte #BlackSecond #JohnAdamsHyman #JamesEOHara #QCTHeritage #CongressionalTrailblazers #ReconstructionEra #CivilRightsHistory #CharlotteTours #HiddenHistory #BlackVoicesMatter #NCPolitics #LegacyLeadership

📚 Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams_Hyman
https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/john-adams-hyman-1840-1891/
https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2023/12/13/john-hyman-1840-1891-e-101
https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/james-edward-ohara-1844-1905/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E._O%27Hara
https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/ohara-james-edward

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #02

2026-02-12T03:42:00.000-08:00

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #02
Resistance. Leadership. Legacy. 🗳️🔥📜

Meet two extraordinary freedom fighters who turned resistance into Reconstruction-era leadership:

James Henry Harris (c.1832–1891)
• Born enslaved, rose to become an educator & Republican organizer
• Among the first Black NC state senators (Wake County, 1868)
• Helped draft NC’s 1868 Constitution, securing Black suffrage 🖋️
• Defended public schools & civil rights while resisting Klan violence
• Led as a teacher and principal in Raleigh until his death
Abraham Harris Galloway (1837–1870)
• Born enslaved in Smithville, NC; escaped North in 1857
• Union spy, soldier recruiter, and suffrage advocate 💣
• Met with Lincoln in 1864 to demand voting rights for Black troops
• Elected state senator (New Hanover, 1868 & 1870)
• Championed anti-Klan laws, land rights & women’s equality
• Passed at age 33—6,000+ mourners filled Wilmington in his honor 🕯️

🎉 Honor their impact this February on the
👉🏾 28^thAnnual QCT Charlotte Pilgrimage Tour^sm 2026
🎟️ Tickets & details at: charlottepilgrimagetour.com

#BHM2026 #BlackCharlotte #NCReconstruction #JamesHenryHarris #AbrahamGalloway #QCTHeritage #Trailblazers #FreedmenPolitics #CivilRightsPioneers #BlackHistoryUncovered #CharlotteTours #HiddenHistory #VoteLegacy

📚 Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Harris_(North_Carolina_politician)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Galloway
https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/harris-james-henry
https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/galloway-abraham
https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2023/12/22/james-h-harris-1832-1891-h-86
https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2023/12/11/abraham-galloway-1837-1870-d-114

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #01

2026-02-12T03:37:00.000-08:00

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #01

✊🏾 BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #01
Trailblazers of Charlotte’s Black Legacy 🏛️🗳️📚

Did you know Charlotte’s Black history was shaped by pioneers like Rev. Daniel Jackson Sanders (1847–1907), the first Black president of what is now Johnson C. Smith University, and Henry Eppes (1830–1903), a groundbreaking NC state legislator from Halifax County who helped shape Reconstruction-era politics in 1868? 🏫⚖️

These visionaries broke barriers in education and public service, laying the groundwork for generations of Black leadership and equity in North Carolina. Their legacy lives on in the Queen City and across the state. 🌍🕊️

🎉 Walk their path this February during the
👉🏾 28^th Annual QCT Charlotte Pilgrimage Tour^sm 2026 –
an immersive Black History Month experience through time and triumph.
🔗 charlottepilgrimagetour.com

#BHM2026 #BlackCharlotte #QueenCityHistory #ReconstructionEra #QCTHeritage #Trailblazers #JCSU #HalifaxCounty #NCPolitics #LegacyInStone #CharlotteTours #HiddenHistory #HistoryMakers

📚 Sources:

https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/sanders-daniel-jackson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_J._Sanders
https://pcusa.org/news-storytelling/blogs/historical-society-blog/african-american-leaders-rev-daniel-jackson-sanders
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Eppes
https://www.ncpedia.org/eppes-henry

🪧 BHM 2026 by QCT | Post #10 🎓 The Myth of Freedom Without Land (1865)

2025-12-12T11:37:48.481-08:00

🪧 BHM 2026 by QCT | Post #10

🎓 The Myth of Freedom Without Land (1865)

In 1865, the end of the Civil War ⚔️ and the passage of the 13th Amendment 📜 meant more than just headlines for North Carolina—it meant sudden, risky freedom for roughly 350,000 Black people 🧑🏿‍🌾 who had been enslaved, living among about 650,000 whites 🤍 in the state.

This new freedom came with no land 🌾, no compensation 💰, and no real support 🚫 for people deliberately denied education 📚, property rights 🏠, and wage autonomy 💼 for generations.

Many newly freed Black North Carolinians tried to survive by working for white landowners 👨🏻‍🌾 or by following Union forces 🇺🇸, hoping the U.S. government would honor General Sherman’s promise of “🌾40 acres and a 🐴 mule.” That promise was revoked ❌ in Washington, leaving Black families still taking orders without the tools to build independence.

The result for many was tenant farming and sharecropping 🌱 — systems that kept Black laborers tied to white-owned land through debt 💸, manipulative contracts 📑, and economic dependency ⛓️.

To counteract Southern resistance 🛑, Radical Republicans in Congress 🏛️ created the Freedmen’s Bureau 🏫 to assist with work, justice ⚖️, and education 🎓. But white Southerners pushed back, accusing it of “stirring up trouble” simply for challenging the old racial order 🧱.

This isn’t about “Black people not knowing how to take care of themselves” 🙄 — it’s about a federal government that ended slavery without offering land, protection, or structural support 🧱, while white supremacists rebuilt the old system under a new name 📉.

📢 Freedom without resources is just another form of control.
💡 True freedom requires ownership, protection, and opportunity.

📅 Event Details

🚌 Tour: 28th Annual Queen City Tours® Charlotte Black/African-American Heritage Tour
📍 Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
🗓️ Dates: February 1–28, 2026 (Black History Month)
🕒 Times: Daily @ 10:00 AM & 1:00 PM
🌐 Website: https://charlottepilgrimagetour.com
📞 Contact: (704) 566-0104 | info@queencitytours.com

📲 Hashtags

#BHM2026 #QueenCityTours #CharlotteBlackHistory #ReconstructionEra #FreedmensBureau #BlackHeritageTour #40AcresAndAMule #BlackHistoryMatters #SharecroppingTruths #TeachTheTruth #CivilWarLegacy #BlackEconomicHistory #CharlotteNC #QCTLegacy #HiddenHistoryRevealed

North Carolina's population and enslaved people in 1865:
https://www.ncpedia.org/quick-facts/north-carolina-population-1860
The Freedmen’s Bureau and its work in North Carolina:
https://www.freedmensbureau.archives.gov/
General Sherman’s Special Field Orders No. 15 (“40 acres and a mule”):
https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/freedmens-bureau
Sharecropping and tenant farming after the Civil War:
https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/sharecropping
Radical Republicans and Reconstruction policies:
https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/reconstruction
Education and racial segregation in the South after slavery:
https://www.nationalmuseumofafricanamericanhistory.org/explore/stories/segregation