Olaf Abraham recalls his memories of the Brooklyn neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina, also known as Second Ward, and of urban renewal. He describes daily life as a youth during the 1940s and 1950s, including attending Second Ward High School, working as Queen City Pharmacy, churches, and playing sports with friends. Mr. Abraham and his family moved from Brooklyn to Southside when urban renewal began in the neighborhood, and shares his memories of the project including workers moving houses by mule to make way for Independence Boulevard, the lack of transparency from city officials about urban renewal, the state of housing in Brooklyn, and why he thinks Brooklyn was the first neighborhood to be targeted for demolition.
