The African working class in Charlotte, especially the families displaced from historic Brooklyn Village—remain on the frontlines of colonial injustice. Once a thriving African community filled with Black-owned businesses, churches, and schools, Brooklyn Village was destroyed through state-sanctioned “urban renewal.” More than 1,000 African families were forcibly removed, their homes bulldozed, and their land stolen. Today, that same land is being redeveloped for luxury condos, hotels, and retail—without reparations, without return, and without community control. The very people who built this community are still suffering from the generational poverty, housing insecurity, and systemic displacement that began with the demolition of Brooklyn Village.

If this development continues without reparations and African working-class control, it will represent a continuation of colonial theft in a new form. It will validate the idea that African communities can be erased, rebuilt, and profited from—without ever addressing the crimes that were committed. On the other hand, if we win, we set a powerful precedent for community-led development, reparations at the local level, and economic justice grounded in historical repair. We have the opportunity to turn this site of historic trauma into a site of resistance, empowerment, and self-determined development.

The redevelopment of Brooklyn Village is happening right now. If we do not act immediately, the land will be lost again—this time buried under luxury towers built on top of our stolen history. Reparations cannot wait. Justice cannot be delayed. African people have the right to control the development of our own communities. By signing this petition, you join the demand for immediate reparations, the redistribution of wealth, and the establishment of African working-class power over Brooklyn Village. We don’t want inclusion in the colonial system—we want to build something new, on our own terms. The fierce urgency of now is not a slogan—it’s a mandate.