Changing Charlotte: An Advocacy Podcast by UNCC Students

My name is Faith Frye and in this podcast episode, I interview Mecklenburg County's Trial Court Administrator Charleston Carter. Carter discusses his advocacy work and how his work is helpful in dismantling a piece of the prison industrial complex.

Special Olympics is a non-profit organization that aims to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a wide variety of Olympic style sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Along with providing athletic opportunities to Special Olympic athletes, Special Olympics also does a great deal of work to advocate for athletes and those with intellectual disabilities. In this episode, UNC - Charlotte student Zack Kearney sits down with long time Special Olympic advocate and volunteer, Carson Boykin, to highlight the local advocacy work being done for Special Olympics in our Charlotte, North Carolina community. 

Andrew Marinelli

This episode focuses on the advocacy and strategies PFLAG Charlotte uses to spread awareness on the issue of LGBTQ healthcare needs, what ways that they can be changed, how the organization uses social media and how parents, caretakers, allies and families can better the lives of LGBTQ individuals. 

Special Thanks for Karen Graci, president of PFLAG Charlotte, for providing the information and her voice for this podcast. You can find more information about PFLAG Charlotte on their website pflagcharlotte.org .

All music produced by Andrew Marinelli (@andrewtheidea).

Andrew Marinelli

The UNCC Bonner Leaders Program invited community leaders Boris Henderson, Alexis Craghead and James Atkinson to host a semester long service learning, community engagement project focusing on gentrification in Optimist Park. In this episode, UNCC student Rebecca De Luna meets Alexis to see the response to the community’s growing attention to the gentrification in Optimist Park. If you want to reach me, email [email protected].

Loaves and Fishes is a local Charlotte organization that provides healthy groceries to families and individuals who are facing food insecurity, typically on a short term basis. In this episode, UNCC student Timberly Southerland meets Shay Merritt, the advocacy head of Loaves and Fishes, see how they are blending advocacy with ministry to address food insecurity in the Charlotte area. 

Join Dei-vonte Freeman-Jackson & Dr. Janaka Lewis as they venture into the murky waters of the infamous Bathroom Bill, HB2, and its "repeal" HB142 that plague the state of North Carolina. They focus on the issue of the bills on the UNC Charlotte campus and ways in which the faculty and staff have combatted these bills. They also ponder on things that students, both present and future, can do to aid in the advocacy of those affected by the bills.

In this episode, University of North Carolina student Alex Brockus interviews a Financial Planner, John Gugle. They speak about advocating for financial literacy and education, focusing around our youth. It dives into the common misconceptions around what financial literacy is, and how you can make a difference in your local community.

 The special education system in North Carolina Schools is not progressing at the rate people would like it to. However, the adapted curriculum teachers at the small Rowan County School, South Rowan High, are making leaps to improve the circumstances anyway they can. Anna-lee Riddle sits down and talk with one of the teachers, Tyler Ritchie, about the progress that they have made and I take an inside look at the new program and environment.