This is a free online course from 10:00 - 11:15 AM. Please register ahead of time to access the Zoom link.

Barely a generation after the Founding Fathers developed our Constitution, America faced a schism that shaped the development of North Carolina’s cities and towns for generations - through post-Civil War Reconstruction, two World Wars, and into the 1960’s.

In this LELA 201 level workshop, participants will explore some of the Jim Crow-era laws and policies that affected municipal zoning in cities and towns all across North Carolina. You will learn about and reflect on the interconnected-ness of municipal zoning and the growth and development of our cities, towns and counties. The workshop highlights the complexities of mid-20^th Century race-based laws and policies that affected how and where our state’s communities grew. 

Workshop participants will gain a deeper understanding of how this complex history continues to impact many of the inter-connected public problems, issues and challenges our local governments, school systems and others still strive to overcome today.       

Our Instructor is Tom Carruthers, Senior Associate General Counsel of the North Carolina League of Municipalities, and former General Counsel for the City of Greensboro. 

Participants in the Local Elected Leaders Academy will receive 2 recognition credits for attending this class.