1940’s marked a continuation of racial intolerance and segregation for Black people living in the United States. It was also the year that Myers Park, a prominent residential neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina, drafted its controversial deed.
Charlotte’s chapter of the NAACP is waging a very public war against Myers Park with hopes that the homeowner’s association would alter their homeownership deed, a piece of paper the organization believes is rotted in illegal, racially-based practices.
The first rule listed on Myers Park’s deed restrictions reads “the lot here by conveyed shall be used for residential purposes only and shall be owned and occupied by people of the Caucasian race.”
Charlotte’s Community Relations Committee has formally denounced the deed and has publicly joined the fight against Myers Park after the document was made public on the neighborhood’s website.
“Myers Park Housing Association [MPHA] has no authority to change this wording as recorded. The original language is offensive. We did not publish this with the intent to discriminate. We did not publish it with the intent to harm,” said MPHA president, Pamela May, via written statement to press.
Officials with Myers Park Housing have 30 days to reach a deal with the NAACP. If no accord can be made then the city of Charlotte can engage in legal action against the neighborhood.
