Travel

Taking On Tokyo

By Lashawnda Becoats   Destination: Tokyo, Japan    Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to visit Japan — land of the fictional characters Hello Kitty and the monster Godzilla. Back then, I knew very little about the culture, I just dreamed of going because it seemed like a cool place, so when my mother suggested we take a family vacation to Tokyo, I was very excited.…
2019 November/December

Eddie Bell: Renaissance Man

By Hope Yancey Eddie Bell greets me at the door of his townhome wearing a Nelson Mandela T-shirt, a souvenir from travel in South Africa. Ask Bell if anyone ever tells him he resembles the late Ed Bradley, a “60 Minutes” correspondent, and he smiles with recognition.…
2019 November/December

Can Planner Alysia Osborne Inject Soul Into Uptown?

By Tonya Jameson Charlotte Center City Partners (CCCP) is known for planning growth in Charlotte’s city inner ring, and over the last decade, the organization has expanded its footprint to surrounding areas such as South End. In 2015, the group lured Alysia Osborne away from the city’s planning department to help the CCCP plan development in the historic west end.…
2019 November/December

The Shaping of Black Charlotte

By Fannie Flono   Charlotte is often listed among the best places for African Americans to live and work. It placed sixth on the 2018 Forbes magazine list of cities where Blacks are doing best economically. And, with more than 13,000 Black-owned businesses, Black Enterprise has called the city a mecca for Black entrepreneurs.…