Let There Be Light: Exploring How Charlotte’s Historic West End Is Shaping a New South

From the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum to the corridors of West Charlotte High School to the pews of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, Let There Be Light is a journey into Charlotte’s Historic West End, a community that embodies Charlotte’s rich past and points toward its future.

Let There Be Light, an anthology, invites readers into a new era of civic engagement. A mosaic of thoughtful essays written by some of Charlotte’s premier thinkers including journalists, historians and civic leaders, the work reflects on the complex and often controversial issues that shape the New South. More specifically, it is a bold exploration into the richly diverse community surrounding the 147-year-old Johnson C. Smith University, one of Charlotte’s historical gems.

Its title inspired by the university’s Latin motto, Sit Lux, Let There Be Light grapples with issues in one of Charlotte’s most misunderstood communities in ways that will broaden your thinking about Charlotte and enlighten your views on urban communities everywhere.