May 20th 1775 - Independence Day in Charlotte

The May 20th Society celebrated their tenth year of honoring the signing of the Mecklenburg’s Declaration of Independence from the British with an event at the Levine Museum of the New South and a lecture by author Isabel Wilkerson, author of the Pulitzer-prize winning book, “The Warmth of Other Suns.”

Last year Dilworthnow.com covered the May 20th Society’s events uptown which included the unveiling of our Historic Liberty Walk and the reenactment ceremony with a reading of Mecklenburg’s Declaration of Independence.

At this year’s event, held appropriately at the Levine Museum of the South, we spoke with the reenactors and members of the society, all dedicated to preserving our history and telling the stories of what “Charlottetown” was really like in that day and time.

Being a Charlottean myself, I was visualizing what it must have been like to be in uptown in 1775. I was told the people that lived here were mostly backcountry folks and uptown was more of a crossroads than a real town. Our original citizens were mostly Scot-Irish, tenacious, strong willed and full of vim and vinegar. Thank goodness for that, otherwise what would our city be like today?

At the reception, we shared yummy appetizers, wine and cocktails with locals and visitors alike. We had a lovely conversation with Paula Vincent representing Novant Health, as Presbyterian Medical Center is now called. It is a big supporter of the Society as are many of our most prominent citizens, corporations and financial institutions.

Lauri Eberhart of the
May 20th Society

This was the eighth year that the Society has sponsored a speaker series on May 20th and this year Isabel Wilkerson, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, spoke to a full house at Spirit Square. She shared stories with us about her book of narrative nonfiction, “The Warmth of Other Suns,” an epic account of three people who made the decision of their lives in what came to be known as the Great Migration.

Growing up here in Charlotte in the 50s, before leaving to find work (or should I say just leaving), I remember that Charlotte still seemed pretty primitive as if not a whole lot had changed since 1775. Like a lot of other young folks, I headed to Washington D.C. During the 60s, I stayed close to family and friends and heard about developments in Charlotte. 

As in 1775, the city’s response to the 1964 Civil Rights Act once more declared Charlotte free from tyranny in a more up close and personal way. I remember being so proud of Charlotte and the mostly peaceful way the people here were reacting to segregation. After hundreds of years of oppression and living a certain way, change is not easy but we know it is possible.

Charlotte’s history is rich and it truly has evolved into the most desirable city for living, working, and worshiping.

To find out more about the May 20th Society, visit its website.