"We are the Eastside"

"This design came to me because I wanted to show some of the excellence of the EastSide and that is the people. Wherever you go we all have a story whether we came here 100 years ago or 2 years ago. We blend together to make this a welcoming home for all. In the colorful painting, I show representation of some of these different cultures with faces that you may see on the street every day. The woman with the hijab, the young boy and his sister walking to the grocery store, the Palestinian brother attending a celebration with family, or maybe the young boy walking home from the middle school. Did you know that for years we had a turkey that sat at a bus stop on Central Avenue every day mingling with the locals?

One of our schools is named after J H Gunn, a principal there but also a bandleader from the 1930’s. We take education seriously on the EastSide; another prominent face on this piece is Stan Frazier, a principal and author. Louise Woods, who worked on the CMS school board for many years and
continues to advocate for all.

 

If you have been a member of the EastSide a long time than you can’t forget Tin Can Ann, our cycler decked in orange
who helped bring character and individuality to our area. We have grown business leaders from the beginning growth of modern Charlotte with people like Charles Ervin to Manolo Betancur. We have the strong women making a difference represented by Rocio Gonzalez and Maheder
Yohannes. There are so, so many more people that represent and lift up the EastSide everyday that make this an ideal place." - Laura Brosi