Kristi McCray provides a detailed account of the Optimist Park community located in Charlotte, North Carolina and its growth in the 1980s. She recalls her experience as one of the first Habitat for Humanity home owners in the neighborhood, and the opportunities that the organization provided for her and other members of the community. Ms. McCray also discusses the impact of gentrification on the neighborhood and the challenges it has presented. In addition, she discusses busing and de facto segregation within the city, and her personal struggle with teen motherhood.
