September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 28

EQUITY
An historic house,
farm and plantation
comprise the
Latta Nature
Preserve, which
was purchased
by Mecklenburg
County, North
Carolina, in the mid1970s.
Historic
Plantation Reimagined in
Mecklenburg County
By Chris Matthews
M
anaged by Mecklenburg County's Park and Recreation Department,
Latta Nature Preserve is a 1,460-acre passive recreation
park that protects significant natural resources and provides
water quality protection for Mountain Island Lake - the primary
drinking water supply reservoir for the greater Charlotte, North Carolina,
area. Located within the nature preserve is a circa 1800 historic farm and plantation
known as Latta Place. The historic Latta site currently occupies about
16 acres within the preserve. There are 19 structures on the property, two of
which remain from the original James Latta plantation. The property, historic
house and several other historic structures are owned by Mecklenburg County.
When the property was purchased
by the county in the mid-1970s, the
management, maintenance and programming
associated with the historic
site was contracted to a nonprofit
organization. Up until the summer
of 2021, the nonprofit was charged
with stewardship of the plantation
grounds, along with a carriage barn,
cabins and outbuildings, and the development
of programming to give
visitors a glimpse into 19th century
life in the Carolina backcountry.
The Issue
In June 2021, the county opted not
to renew its Annual Performance
Agreement with the nonprofit organization.
This was a result of significant
public backlash over advertising
28 Parks & Recreation | SEP T EMBER 2 0 22 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
for a post-coronavirus (COVID-19)
Juneteenth event, called " Kingdom
Coming. " Specifically, the issue was
that the program description, posted
on the nonprofit's website and on
social media, did not acknowledge
the historical significance of June 19,
a day that commemorates the final
emancipation of slaves in the United
States. Instead, the program description
appeared to strike a sympathetic
tone for those who had owned slaves,
referring to one slave owner as an
" overseer " and a " massa. "
Even though Mecklenburg County
did not oversee day-to-day programs
at the living history museum, park
and recreation department staff took
swift action to recommend the cancellation
of their agreement. " That
context, we felt, was not in accor

September 2022 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2022 - Parks & Recreation

September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Intro
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover1
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover2
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 1
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 2
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 3
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 4
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 5
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 6
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 7
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 8
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 9
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 10
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 10a
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 10b
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 11
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 12
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 13
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 14
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September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 16
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 17
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 18
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 19
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 20
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 21
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 22
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 23
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 24
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 25
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 26
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 27
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 28
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 29
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 30
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 31
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 32
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 33
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 34
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 35
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 36
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 37
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September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 40
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 41
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 42
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 43
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September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 45
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 46
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 47
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 48
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 49
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 50
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 51
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 52
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 53
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 54
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 55
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 56
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 57
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 58
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 59
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September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 61
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 62
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 63
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 64
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover3
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover4
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2024
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https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2021
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