Johnson C. Smith University will use a $5.7 million federal grant to upgrade its technology systems and to provide 5G internet service to its campus and surrounding community, the university announced Monday. The grant, from the U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration, is the largest federal grant the school has received in its 156-year history. In a statement, JCSU board Chairman Steven L. Boyd...
In 2021, QCity Metro interviewed Destiny Stone when she was one of several local creatives featured on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) drama series “Delilah,” a show filmed and set in Charlotte. Two years later, Stone is newly married, a new mom, and still just as passionate about her music. In observance of Black History Month, Stone will perform “Nina Now,” a tribute to Nina Simone, at Queen’s University. Stone does not recall...
The small town of Lincolnton, N.C., has a little-known connection to Sunday’s Super Bowl. Before the game, when actress Sheryl Lee Ralph sang “Lift Every Voice,” a.k.a the Black National Anthem, she stunned in a deep-red jumpsuit that left some wondering who put her look together. The mind behind the design is Lincolnton native Charles Elliott Harbison, founder of luxury clothing brand HARBISON. (Lincolnton, population 11,000-plus,...
“Spoken City,” a new podcast focusing on the University City area, is hitting streaming services, with a new episode planned monthly. Hosted by Junious “Jay” Ward, Charlotte’s first poet laureate, and poets Hannah Hasan and Boris “Bluz” Rogers, the podcast features University City’s Black business owners, community leaders and artists. The hosts all live in University City, and Hasan serves on the University City Partners...
Charlotte Center City Partners has hired Phillip “Dr. O” Otienoburu as senior vice president of community development. Otienoburu previously held positions as a sector leader at Self-Help Credit Union & Venture Fund, and as a tenured professor at Johnson C. Smith University. He holds a master’s degree from the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. Otienoburu currently serves on Sustain...
At an emergency meeting on Friday, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board approved a contract with BWP & Associates, an Illionois-based search firm, to find the district’s next superintendent. “The committee has been hard at work to make sure we not only track the best search firm, that we track the best fit for our board,” search committee chair Summer Nunn said during the meeting. “That is why we unanimously selected BWP and...
How well did you follow the news in Charlotte this week? The average score on last week’s quiz was 61% — a “D” on our grading scale. Val Carothers got a perfect score and won our drawing for a $25 gift card. This week I’ve put together a new set of questions. Score an “A” and your name will be entered in our next drawing. Good luck! Free Newsletter Stay informed with news and events that impact Charlotte's Black communities. QCITY...
Of the 1,696 players in the NFL, only 31 are from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Four of them will be competing in the Super Bowl this Sunday. From a practice squad standout to a former Pro Bowler, both the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs have utilized HBCU players in hopes of winning a championship. Here are the players below: Philadelphia Eagles: Javon Hargrave Defensive Tackle – South Carolina State Free...
Stepping inside Stroud’s Flowers is like stepping into the past. From the stained glass window out front that reads “Stroud’s” to the old piano in the lobby, the floral shop is filled with nostalgia and the sweet aroma of its flowers. Gerardo and Nancy Stroud opened Stroud’s Flowers in 1977 on Beatties Ford Road. It’s now one of Charlotte’s oldest Black-owned businesses still in operation. When Stroud died in the late 1990s,...
The path to matrimony is seldom straight or easy. It is often paved with pitfalls, losses and unexpected turns. But where true love exists, love finds a way. This Greenville couple encountered a unique set of difficulties along their love’s journey. But when Destiny called, needing what only Garrett could provide, he answered. Bride: Destiny Green Johnson, 27, healthcare credentialing, native of Gadsden, South CarolinaGroom: Garrett...
