Documentary: Charlotte's Hidden Valley Neighborhood - The Lived Experience (2021)

This Documentary is intended to counter the stigma of the Hidden Valley Neighborhood in Charlotte, NC, and present the lived experience of this family-oriented, diverse neighborhood. It’s presented by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte's - Charlotte Action Research Project (CHARP) in partnership with Hidden Valley residents, and produced by CHARP Researcher, Barbara Pinson Lash. The Hidden Valley Neighborhood has seen many changes since its inception, beginning as an all White 'fairy tale' neighborhood, then changing to a prominent African-American neighborhood, to one scarred by gang violence that made national news headlines, to the relatively quiet Black and Latino community it is today. This documentary explores the lived experience of residents which has developed into a counter narrative. The hope is that by sharing it, the documentary will counter some of the negative stigma, and continue to encourage local media to refrain from referencing crime as happening in or near Hidden Valley if it in fact happened outside of Hidden Valley.