Arguing that racial conflict could damage the good business climate in the city, Mayor Stan Brookshire tries to convince leading restaurant and hotel operators to begin desegregation. Concerned by reports from Mississippi and Alabama, they agree.

On May 29-31, white business leaders invite black guests, including A.E. Spears, to lunch at several hotel restaurants. Positive news stories about the city's progress are carried in local and national media and help promote the city to outside investors.

Mayor Brookshire played a large role in Charlotte's desegregation. Earlier, he had announced the desegregation of Charlotte's parks and public facilities. Since Reconstruction, Jim Crow laws had limited where black people could go in the city. Moved by strong religious convictions, the mayor seeks the removal of these laws. Charlotte becomes one of the first major Southern cities to drop discrimination in public places.