- [Announcer] This is a production of PBS Charlotte.

- Just ahead on Carolina Impact, we introduce you to a South Carolina man who's etched his name in history through his courageous actions.

Plus, how a Pineville mother's autism friendly play area creates a safe space.

And calling all creatives, see how a local organization brings the community together through the arts.

Carolina Impact starts right now.

(bright upbeat music) Good evening, thanks so much for joining us.

I'm Amy Burkett.

He was born as America entered the early years of a national depression.

He served in a military that was desegregated on paper, yet came home to open segregation.

And for more than eight decades, Billy Powell has noted the history of his South Carolina community and his nation.

As Carolina Impacts' Beatrice Thompson and videographer Marcellus Jones show us, it's a tale of a life that's chronicled the American story from an African American perspective.

(electronic music) - [Bea] Take a walk with me as we listen to a man who holds a very special place in his community of cable in Westchester County.

His name is Billy Powell.

In the African tradition, he would be called a grio, one who tells the history of his people.

And for him, his community has many stories to tell.

- Anybody that says nothing has changed since slavery probably need to go back and do a little more homework, a little more research.

- [Bea] The boy whose family members were sharecroppers grew to be a man who went off to serve his country during the Korean War, yet knew of the discrimination at home.

- I saw segregation, discrimination.

(soft orchestral music) I was under, marching under the American flag in the United States Army when Emmett Till was lynched.

So, I saw that area.

- If you look at the different chapters in his life, this beautiful story says exactly why he's a grio to our community, the storyteller.

His life is telling the story of us all.

- [Bea] Angela Douglas is a lifelong activist and community leader in Chester County.

She counts Powell as a mentor and friend.

As a former elected official, the political science lecturer says Powell's life has played a key role in impacting generations.

- Having someone that you can actually look at, who has not been just a hell raiser, but has gotten so much done from civil rights to feeding your family, Mr. Powell has that story.

- [Bea] And he knows the history of enslaved people taking the names of former owners, of how people of color bought land at the turn of the century, and why the whites sold it to them.

- The plantation owners before then sold it to them for a dollar fifty cent a acre because they wanted to get it off of their tax record, wouldn't have to pay tax on it.

They discovered, your ancestors and mine, realized that it wouldn't grow cotton.

- [Bea] As a young boy, Powell would cross this plantation property with his mother.

The house was built by the Osbornes in 1853, plantation owners and the owner of a grist mill before the Civil War.

Now, more than eight decades after taking those walks... - I own this house.

I own this land that I saw sharecroppers work.

- [Bea] That's right, he now owns the plantation house.

And more than 300 acres.

But he says one of his most prized possessions, a letter from the Civil War.

- This gentleman who built this house, he owned two slaves when emancipation came.

And I have one document that is precious, that a federal marshal had him to sign, saying that he would release the slaves.

- [Bea] Inside the house, pictures from the past, and Powell answers the questions for those who ask, why keep up pictures of previous white owners?

His answer, history.

- Those people built this house.

True history is they, this is where they live.

And true history is that my mother is biracial, and some members of my family are just plain black, and we occupy the house at will now.

And so, our pictures are in there also.

- [Bea] During the early part of the century, a black man by the name of Jehu and his two brothers bought this house and 46 acres, a house the white planters built for the overseer.

Powell now owns that house as well.

He points out facts show many who were enslaved here had marketable skills.

- According to that trade was what they did.

So, a lot of slaves here didn't pick cotton, they would help to shape stones and load them on wagons and ship 'em to Chester.

That little short section of the main street in Chester stands to courthouse.

That beautiful work, stone work that leads up in the balcony was cut right down on this place.

- [Bea] And now at 92, he has some sage words of advice for us all.

- I'm talking about everybody that had a hand in building this country.

My great-grandfather, Frank Giles, for an example, was born a slave.

he helped build this country.

You understand what I'm talking about?

So, black folk and white folks built this country.

- [Bea] It's more than a statement, it is American history.

For Carolina Impact, I'm Bea Thompson.

- Thank you, Bea.

If you'd like to see the historic Osborne home and plantation, head to our website, pbscharlotte.org for tour details.

Most moms likely agree that some of our happiest moments are seeing our kids laughing.

Imagine not being able to find a play area to make your child feel happy.

That was the case for one Pineville mom.

So, she decided to create a safe space that would allow kids with the same disability as her child to enjoy.

Carolina Impacts' Dara Khaalid and videographer Russ Hunsinger, take us to Unwind Indoor Play Cafe to see how it's different.

(electronic music) (playful music) - [Dara] There's movement everywhere from little bodies at Unwind Indoor Play Cafe.

They're zipping down slides with smiles, courageously climbing walls, and stacking towers of foam blocks.

At first glance, it may look like your average play area, but what you won't find here in Pineville is loud background music, bright colors and equipment that kids can get lost in.

(playful music) - We made them in an open concept so that no matter where you sit, you have a clear view of your child.

The slide behind me is a clear slide, and that was done on purpose.

(playful music) - [Dara] Everything was done with a purpose, because founder Patricia Carrothers knows firsthand what it's like being a parent at a play area and not being able to keep an eye on your autistic child.

- A lot of the places that are built for children are more commercialized, and they're thinking about all the fun things, but maybe not realizing it could be sensory overload for children like Charlie that have autism.

- So, if a child shows up disorganized, excitable, and disconnected, there's not a chance they're gonna be able to perform to their fullest potential.

So, what we do is, we regulate those systems, that's your vestibular, proprioceptive and deep pressure systems.

We regulate those by activities that are included here at Unwind, which swinging, spinning, hanging upside down.

- [Dara] Pediatric Occupational Therapist, Heidi Tringali, is one of the two partners Unwind works with to provide additional support for families while they're visiting.

The other is Speech-Language Pathologist, Rebecca Rowe.

- When we're playing with each other, it's a whole different system that we're using now versus sitting at a table.

We're moving our bodies, we're getting sensory integration, we're using different materials and techniques.

And, again, we're letting the child lead, play-based therapy.

- Oh, it feels like Christmas, Charlie.

- [Dara] Three years ago, Patricia learned her 7-year-old son, Charlie, had autism.

She says it caused him to get easily distracted in class and have to move around a lot.

Eventually his school asked for him to be removed.

When her family couldn't find another school, she had to quit her job to homeschool him.

- We went through like a stage of figuring things out 'cause we obviously don't expect to have that type of news.

Can I have a hug?

That was so beautiful.

To receive a diagnosis of autism, you don't know what to expect.

So, it takes a while for you to kind of process that information.

- [Dara] What Patricia also had to process were the looks from strangers when Charlie had a meltdown.

- If there's a combination of too many sounds, he starts shouting or he may feel like he needs to cover his ears.

And so, for someone that doesn't know that he has autism, it looks like a behavior issue.

- [Dara] In September, 2023, she decided it was time for her family to stop missing out on the fun, and finally have a place where they could unwind.

(gentle upbeat music) - The struggle that we've gone through, like to be tapped out, like I've put all chips in to create this, quite literally.

- [Dara] That includes selling their still creek home, using the equity to invest in Unwind, and all of the household expenses fell on Christopher.

- [Christopher] It made us get down on our knees and pray.

What ultimately this has done is caused healing for the community.

- [Person] Great job.

- But it caused healing in our home because now we are best friends.

(bright orchestral music) - [Dara] That healing can be felt by parents like Aislinn Martinez.

Her son, Caleb, is an example of the one in 40 North Carolina kids diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.

She brings him here to play all the time.

- He's able to unwind himself and be himself for a little bit, you know, for the time that we're here, and not be as, you know, frustrated that, oh, it's too packed or it's too loud.

- [Dara] Caleb, like most kids, has a favorite spot.

- As soon as he comes in, he is already like looking at the ball pit, and he's like, eyeing it, like, that's where I'm going.

And then it's always, as soon as he comes in, he's at the door and he is like looking in like, is it still there?

- [Dara] While the ball pit looks like just a fun activity, experts say it, along with the sensory light up floor tiles and climbing wall, play a major role in the development of autistic children.

(drill whirring) - He has given me resilience to fight through challenges.

I don't have a choice to say, oh, I'm not gonna take on the challenge.

Like, I have to find a way to get through the challenge because there's no other way, like, he's my son.

- [Dara] Patricia may never know how her fight for her son (child laughing) changed the lives of so many families.

For Carolina Impact, I'm Dara Khaalid.

- Thank you, Dara.

Patricia's not stopping there, she's currently working with local public schools to get sensory rooms installed.

These will allow autistic children to go inside and regulate, then return back to class focused.

Well, Patricia isn't the only one making a difference for those with disabilities.

Coffee shops may be a dime a dozen.

And for many of us here in Charlotte, they've become a major part of our lives.

But they're not all created equal.

Videographers Max Arnell and Doug Stacker take us inside a South End coffee shop for a cause.

(electronic music) (soft orchestral music) - [Ben] It's as cool as any coffee shop.

- [Person] Room for cream.

- [Ben] The coffees are great, the drinks are great.

But what makes us different than any other coffee shop is who serves the coffee.

- My name is Todd Baker.

- Meg Hibbitts.

- My name is Aaron.

- Yeah, Bitty & Beau's Coffee Shop, which downtown Charlotte, Camden Street, South End.

(soft orchestral music) - Bitty & Beau's is something that was really born out of my wife, Amy's heart.

Our two youngest, Bitty and Beau were born to us biologically with Down Syndrome.

We started this little coffee shop in Wilmington, North Carolina, 500 square feet, just really to have a place for Bitty and Beau to work someday.

And then all of a sudden we realized, oh my, there's so much more going on here.

There's a demand, a need for these.

We call the coffee shops kinda like portals.

A coffee shop in Charlotte is a portal for people with and without disabilities to come together in a very normalized environment, right?

Like a coffee shop, everybody knows what to do when they go to a coffee shop, whether you work there or whether you're a guest.

(bright orchestral music) - Our favorite is the customers with a big heart and smile on their faces.

- Get to get to know the customer.

I like to how like a helpful conversation, help them feel like a more helpful environment.

- The customers that come in really seem to enjoy being here.

They come in, they get to know the employees.

It's a happy place, you can just, there's just a vibe here.

- Yeah, I do everything behind the counter, like register, get people's orders and making drinks.

- So, they take our orders, they make our drinks.

(indistinct) They call the orders out, they help us keep the shop super clean.

We actually have a lot of employees who have started helping us do our inventory.

We set a lot of goals, we like to set goals with our employees.

We ask them what their goals are too, so that they can learn new skills and be the best employees that they can be.

- I like to make drinks and improvement of my lab skills.

And it also a big opportunity to do that.

- Seeing even more people and meet new people who have talent, special talents, not disabilities, I don't like saying that.

Because they can do their own things in their own ways, and they can share that to prove that in Bitty & Beau's.

- My daughter works here.

It's really funny, people ask her, "Do you like working at Bitty & Beau's?"

And her answer is, "No, I love working at Bitty & Beau's."

- There are so many things I love about coming to work.

The customers, the dogs, the positive messages we send.

- She really enjoys writing little inspirational messages on the cups to hand to people.

- We send part of the messages, like, "We love you."

"Come again soon."

"Believe in yourself."

(bright upbeat music) - Meg had a hard time finding a job, and she tried and she looked at several different places, and kind of the minute they found out she had a disability, they were nice to her, but they didn't really see her as an opportunity for employment.

- When we found out that they were opening here, she started following the stories closely so she could make sure to get her name in and try to find a job.

- And folks with disabilities, I find they're often told, you can do it as long as whatever it is is on a list this big.

- Working is important for all humans.

And getting an opportunity to work is something that we take for granted, and a lot of us do because we feel like we have to do it.

But when you find work that you enjoy, it changes you as a person.

- And I've noticed in my time here that not only are we changing the way people see other people, we are changing the way our employees see themselves.

(gentle orchestral music) I'm so lucky to be able to get up every day and do something that I love, with people that I love.

It's really cool to see their growth.

And then when they succeed, I'm there cheering them on, we celebrate with them.

And that's what all of us do.

- I never cease to be amazed by the incredible people throughout our region.

Well, they hope the South End location can continue to grow into an all-inclusive third space for people with and without disabilities.

Finally tonight, finance has always been a key industry in Charlotte, dating all the way back to the gold rush of the early 1800s.

150 plus years later, it was the mega mergers in the 80s and 90s that put the city on the map in the banking industry, which now ranks as the second largest in the country, behind New York City.

But banking isn't the only thing the Queen City is known for.

Carolina Impacts Jason Terzis joins us with more.

- Well, Charlotte is known for a lot of things, a great culinary scene, barbecue, craft beer, our sports teams, NASCAR, Carins and the Whitewater Center.

And a cultural scene with art, theaters and museums.

One organization in town is making it its mission to bring cultural creatives from all sorts of industries together in an effort to encourage ideas and innovation.

(electronic music) - So, I have to go finish that up.

Entrepreneurship, I'm doing that right now.

- [Jason] Five years ago, the nonprofit, Do Greater Charlotte, was born.

- With the idea of training and building the next generation of entrepreneurs, creators, and innovators, particularly in under-resourced communities.

- [Jason] In just a few short years, it's created multiple programs to help kids and young adults in the creative world.

- So, we train them as digital creators, we provide the tools and technology and community and spaces.

- [Jason] Launching any sort of business, let alone a nonprofit, takes resources.

Someone has to be willing to invest.

For Do Greater Charlotte founder, William McNeely, one of those early investors, came in the form of another nonprofit, Charlotte is Creative.

- And I reached out to Charlotte is Creative, and received a micro grant.

They call it a hug grant.

And that hug grant was $250.

And what I did was I bought the first iPad that went into our mobile creative lab.

And what that did was, it started this snowball effect.

It was $250, but it turned into what you stand in today.

- That's the thing, what's what's most exciting for us is, we try to be in relationship with the creatives that we work with.

And that's just one example.

- I'm Matt Olin, the co-founder of Charlotte is Creative.

- I'm Tim Minor... - [Jason] The founders of Charlotte is Creative, Tim Minor and Matt Olin, have been carrying the torch of the region's creative community for nearly a decade.

Their goal is to unite anyone and everyone in the creative space.

Artists, photographers, writers, videographers, DJs, podcasters, and so on.

For them, it's all about creativity, community, and perhaps most importantly, connection.

- There were little glimpses of how deep Charlotte's artistic and cultural community was, but they weren't finding avenues.

And so, we saw it as a way to bridge cultures.

- [Jason] Matt and Tim's relationship goes all the way back to their days at Charlotte Catholic High School, and later UNC Chapel Hill.

- It draws on our backgrounds as theater rats.

I mean, Tim and I met in line for an audition for a play in high school.

We did theater productions all through college.

- We would actually talk about what we thought the role of creativity was in life.

- [Jason] After each went off into the corporate working world, Tim and Matt reconnected with the idea of recasting the story of Charlotte.

- So often, adults fall into that pattern, right?

I go to work, I come home, I take care of my kids if I've got 'em, I do what I can to spend a few moments with my spouse and rinse and repeat.

And what's not in that mix is filling yourself up.

- It felt like a calling of sorts.

You know, it's always been talked about as a banking town, as a great place to raise a family and a great place to live.

But the idea of Charlotte being a creative city was never a headline, it was never a big part of the narrative.

By a show of hands, who is here for the first time ever at a CreativeMornings event?

Okay- - [Person] Yeah!

- [Jason] CreativeMornings, the wildly popular monthly breakfast lecture series celebrates the creative spirit of the city.

It's definitely not your typical meeting.

It's more like a giant pet rally filled with musicians, (gentle orchestral music) guest speakers.

- Such an amazing impact.

- [Jason] And just plain fun.

(people cheering) - Meetings can be stuffy, right?

Charlotte was a very adult town, but for CreativeMornings, we wanted to create an atmosphere, develop an atmosphere where people that came could not be so adult for a few minutes.

- So, we come to think of CreativeMornings almost as a civic variety show.

You know, it moves at a really nice clip, lots of different segments, and by the end of the 75, 80 minutes, you've seen a parade of creatives, and you're left feeling like you truly could not have imagined that the Charlotte creative well runs this deeply.

If you've ever made a friend of CreativeMornings over the last 100 months, just stand up and show us if you've ever made a friend here.

I see Frank... - [Jason] In May, Tim and Matt held their 100th CreativeMornings monthly meeting, and regulars attending can't get enough.

- It was just different from anything I'd ever been to in Charlotte.

The energy was just palpable, it moved, it was fun, it was different.

It evoked a lot of different, just inspiring emotions and excitement.

- The way I would put it in is a safe space for creatives to talk about anything related to arts and culture.

It's free conversations, it's entertainment, it's laughter, it's tears, it's a little bit of everything.

- It felt like church for creatives, you know?

So, we would always walk away feeling inspired, feeling motivated, feeling not so alone in the way we look at the world or the way we approach it.

- We want you to leave feeling invigorated, like we've stirred up your creative energy and reminded you that you're a creative person.

Whether you're a practicing artist or you work in corporate America or anything in between, that you have this stirred up creativity, this creative energy that you can bring back to your community, your job, your family, your church, your neighborhood, whatever it is.

- And I use that CreativeMornings kind of as a refuelment time for me at the beginning of every month, and got to know those guys and just love the creative community that they have had built.

- [Jason] It's about creativity, connections, networking and inspiration, and building a narrative that Charlotte is more than just banks.

- We need to take care of our creative community.

We need to make sure that we're feeding them, that they are not just contributing to the quality of life and the overall reputation of Charlotte, but to our economic promise.

- There's nothing more fun than putting a group of creatives in a room.

As I understand, Jason, there's more to the Charlotte is Creative than just those monthly morning meetings.

- The monthly morning meeting is the fun event, but there's definitely more going on.

In addition to CreativeMornings monthly meeting, there are several programs and initiatives under the Charlotte is Creative umbrella.

There's The Biscuit, which is an email newsletter.

The Queen City Quiz Show, which is a game show that the guys run.

And creative project management and creative content development.

They also have ongoing projects with companies like Lowe's, Wells Fargo, and Honeywell.

But that CreativeMornings monthly meeting really serves as their flagship networking event.

And it was really just fun to see, 'cause it was really, was it?

I felt like it was a pep rally more than anything else.

- And who doesn't love a good pep rally?

- Mm-hmm.

- Thanks so much, Jason.

Well, it's an opportunity that people are often looking to connect.

And if you are looking to connect with us and maybe you know someone interesting that we should spotlight here on PBS Charlotte, send us your story ideas.

All you have to do is email it to stories@wtvi.org.

Well, that does it for tonight.

Thanks so much for joining us, we always appreciate your time, and we look forward to seeing you back here again next time on Carolina Impact.

Good night, my friends.

(bright orchestral music) - [Announcer] This is a production of PBS Charlotte.