Historic Russell School Plans Events in June

The history of public education in America is intricate with details, some of which are not that well known. For instance, it is unlikely that many readers know the history of Rosenwald Schools, or what they have to do with Durham.

Rosenwald Schools provided education for African-Americans in the rural South during segregation. Durham's Historic Russell School  is the last surviving Rosenwald School in Durham County and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming up in June is a chance to learn more about Durham's Historic Russell School at a Durham History Hub exhibition and Summer Starlight Jazz Soiree.

The exhibition coincides with the National Rosenwald Schools Conference being held in Durham June 17-19 and tells the story of the Rosenwald schools, with particular focus on Historic Russell School.

The Historic Russell School will also host a relaxing, starlight evening of jazz. This fundraising event will be held on June 19 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. There will be music by the Stanley Baird Group, dinner, and a silent auction. Tours of the Historic Russell School will be given throughout the evening. The price for the event is $50.00 per person before June 5. Funds raised from the Jazz Soiree will benefit program development, restoration, and operations at the Historic Russell School. Tickets may be purchased online here, or by calling (631) 800-3487.

Learn more about Durham's African-American history with the African-American Heritage Guide or through the Black History portal. 

A Source for Durham’s African-American Heritage

Durham has a long and proud African-American history, from the African Americans living and working here today to the leaders of Hayti and Black Wall Street, as well as many, many more. The Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB) pays homage to that legacy with its African-American Heritage Guide. An updated version of the guide was recently release, along with an online portal with additional content.

The guide itself provides locals and visitors alike with maps and descriptions of historic sites, relevant exhibits, and more so interested parties can learn more about the contributions Durham’s African Americans made to the city, state, and country. The guide includes Pauli Murray’s childhood home, the Hayti Heritage Center, the site of important sit-ins, and more.

The online portal includes additional content, including more in-depth articles about Carolina Theatre’s civil rights exhibit and the role Historic Stagville has played in helping some African-American families shed light on their past. Additional content will be added throughout the year to reflect upcoming events.

Visit durhamblackhistory.com to view the portal. You can also browse the African-American Heritage Guide online.

Durham’s Historic Parrish Street Forum Hosts Black History Presentation June 20

Education has always played an important role in Durham's history. It's no different in Durham's African-American community.

Dr. Aaron Moore is hailed as Durham’s first black physician and one of the original founders of the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company. However, he was also a strong education advocate who made a great impact on Durham’s public education system and beyond.

Residents are invited to learn more about this pillar of Durham's black community at a free presentation that will uncover the critical role that Dr. Moore played in the education of blacks, not only in Durham, but throughout North Carolina.

Hosted by the Historic Parrish Street Forum, this free event will be held on Thursday June 20, 2013, at 7 p.m. at the Historic Parrish Street Forum, located at 108 W. Parrish Street in downtown Durham.

The presentation will be given by Joanne Abel, adult programming and humanities librarian with the Durham County Library. Abel will share her research on Dr. Moore’s work to improve education policies, the training of students, and the employment of black teachers.

Abel notes that Dr. Moore took decisive action in 1915 to inspect black schools. “Dr. Moore raised money to hire a statewide inspector of black schools who would be truly independent, because he was paid by the black community,” Abel said. “This inspector visited 35 counties and found the schools in Durham County to be among the worst. This finding was a catalyst for the actions Dr. Moore would then lead to improve black schools throughout the South.”

Abel will also discuss Dr. Moore’s advocacy for the employment of black teachers through the Jeanes Foundation – an organization founded to train black teachers and place them in schools in the South. These teachers worked to upgrade those schools and provide vocational training for black students.

This event is sponsored by the Parrish Street Project, an initiative of the City of Durham’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development and the Parrish Street Advocacy Group, to spur economic development and commemorate the history of Durham’s Black Wall Street.

For more information contact Nia Richardson, economic development specialist with the City’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, by email at Nia.Richardson@DurhamNC.gov  or by calling (919) 560-4965, ext. 15216.

About Joanne Abel
Joanne Abel is the adult programming and humanities librarian with the Durham County Library. She earned her bachelor’s of science degree in Education from Georgia Southern College, her master’s degree in Library Science from North Carolina Central University, and her Master of Art in Liberal Studies from Duke University. Her final project at Duke was on Durham County’s African-American Schools and the Jeanes Supervising Teachers from 1900-1930. This project was made into a Durham County Library web page called The Women Who Ran the Schools. To learn more, click here.

About the Parrish Street Project
The Parrish Street Project is an initiative of the Durham City Council to commemorate the nationally significant history of Parrish Street, also known as “Black Wall Street,” and spur economic revitalization for this downtown Durham corridor. This initiative is being coordinated by the City’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development and the Parrish Street Advocacy Group, and a group of Durham leaders, activists, businesses, and residents representing some of the most influential organizations and interests in the Bull City. Together they are engaged in a mission to attract new investment and pursue national heritage area status from the United States Congress. To learn more, click here.

About the Office of Economic & Workforce Development
Guided by the City’s Strategic Plan, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development helps ensure that Durham has a strong and diverse economy by increasing the city’s tax base through several revitalization initiatives, including new development efforts in the central city area. The department also plans and promotes cultural awareness and events, identifies and recruits target industries as well as assesses and trains Durham residents to fill new jobs. For more information, visit the website, “like” on Facebook, or “follow” on Twitter.

Learn more about the city where great things happen.

Duke Alumnus Sen. 'Mo' Cowan to Keynote 50th Anniversary Event April 13

 U.S. Sen. William "Mo" Cowan of Massachusetts will deliver the keynote address at an event commemorating 50 years of black undergraduate students at Duke University. Cowan, a 1991 Duke graduate, is originally from North Carolina.

The event will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 13, in Page Auditorium, during Duke's Reunion Weekend. It is free and open to the public, although tickets are required. Tickets are free when picked up in person at the Duke Box Office. If tickets are ordered online, a $6 online service charge applies. Light refreshments will be served in the Great Hall on West Campus following the address.

Free parking is available in the H Parking Lot (corner of Anderson and Yearby). Free shuttle service will be provided from the lot to Page Auditorium from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Overflow seating will be available in Griffith Theater in the Bryan Center.

Those unable to attend can watch a live stream of the event on the university's Ustream channel, ustream.tv/duke-university. Viewers can post comments on Twitter using the hashtag #Duke50th. An archive of the recording will also be posted online.

A public reception launching the nine-month commemoration of Duke's first black students was cancelled in January due to bad weather and dangerous road conditions. Nearly 700 people had registered for that event.

Cowan's talk will highlight the contributions of Duke's African-American community -- students, alumni, faculty and staff. The three surviving members of the first class of black undergraduate students are expected to attend, as will several of the first students to integrate the university's graduate and professional schools.

"As a proud alumnus, it's an honor to be a part of acknowledging Duke University's outstanding effort to cultivate a diverse community for their students both inside and outside of the classroom. But of even deeper importance and measure of personal gratitude is the opportunity to celebrate the courage and strength of the young men and women who joined that first integrated class in 1963," Cowan said. "I am excited to return to Durham to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first black students at Duke. They paved the way for the young black men and women who followed them, and their burden has been my gain."

Cowan, a Yadkinville, North Carolina native and 1991 Duke alumnus with a bachelor's degree in sociology, was recently sworn in as a U.S. senator representing Massachusetts, filling John Kerry's vacant seat. His interim term ends June 25. He is the first African-American to represent Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate since 1978.

Cowan is the former chief of staff to Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. After Duke, Cowan received his J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and practiced civil litigation as an associate and later as a partner in the Boston office of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.

"We are very excited to welcome Senator Cowan back to Duke for this very meaningful event. His lifelong commitment to public service is an inspiration to current and future generations of Duke students," said Michael Schoenfeld, Duke's vice president of public affairs and government relations and co-chair of Duke's 50th anniversary committee.

For information about the nine-month commemoration of Duke's first black students, click here. For more details about other Reunion Weekend events, click here.

Durham's NCCU Presents "Black Mama Monologues" Gives Voice to Black Motherhood

Durham African-American community has a long and proud history. At Durham's North Carolina Central University, a historically black university, the “Black Mama Monologues” will be presented in celebration of Black History Month.

Conceived by Anton Hough and Kerri Mubaarak, “Black Mama Monologues” captures the soul of the African-American woman. The production was originally designed for the Caldcleugh Multicultural Arts Center’s We Are One Performing Arts Program in Greensboro. It was later performed by The Collective. The unique approach to the production offers cast members the opportunity to compose monologues about their own life experiences, influences and exposures to African- American mothers. The result of such an intimate project has yielded a voice and a tribute to the African-American matriarch.


“The audience is able to step into a world of individual, real-life encounters with a black mama that are also collective and easily recognizable,” said Dr. Asabi, assistant professor of theater at NCCU and artistic director of the production. “These accounts address the unique culture, experiences, struggles, desires, familial commitment, relationships and spirituality of African-American women.”

Sixteen actors will share their reflections of the phenomenal influence of African-American women in their lives from life lessons learned to distinctive methods of discipline. Filled with music and dance, this exuberant drama also gives three NCCU students the opportunity to serve as choreographers.

“Throughout history the black mother is the epitome of an extraordinary being with unspeakable strength, irresistible beauty, undying love and enduring wisdom,” Asabi said. “She has survived the denial of her physical beauty and the ability to be her true self. “Survival in such an adversarial environment has given birth to this exclusive spirit of the black mama.  I was inspired to take this experience, opportunity and creative premise to the community.”

Shows will be presented on Feb. 10, 11, 17 and 18 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 12 and 19 at 2 p.m. in the University Theater. Tickets are $5 for students, senior citizens and children aged 4 to 17, and $10 for general admission. To purchase tickets, contact the NCCU ticket office at 919-530-5170. University Theater is in the Farrison–Newton Communications Building.

Photography Exhibit Highlights African-American Resistance

A diverse community of passionate citizens, Durham has a long and proud history as a civil rights center. Durham was the site of North Carolina's first sit-in and three years later, was the place Dr. Martin Luther King launched a new battle cry in his “Fill The Jails" speech. Some of the same civil rights leaders who pushed for advancement in Durham, NC are portrait subjects featured in a new exhibition to come to North Carolina Central University  by way of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History and Culture.

Angela Davis

A stunning collection of photographic portraits, “Let Your Motto be Resistance: African-American Portraits,” will open at the North Carolina Central University Art Museum on Sunday, Nov. 6, at 2 p.m. The collection reveals the nation's history through an African-American lens, using the lives of well-known abolitionists, artists, scientists, writers, statesmen, entertainers and sports figures.

Originally presented as the inaugural exhibit of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, the exhibit includes 69 prints that highlight individuals whose passion, determination and talent played an influential role in shaping notions of race and status over the past 150 years. Among the featured photographers who employ a variety of strategies to create their powerful images are Mathew Brady, James VanDerZee, Doris Ulmann, Edward Weston, Gordon Parks, Irving Penn and Carl Van Vechten.

The exhibit’s title was taken from a speech to the National Convention of Colored Citizens in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1843, by celebrated abolitionist and orator Henry Highland Garnet. In the speech titled “Call to Rebellion,” Garnet challenges the American slaves to rise up and emancipate themselves, arguing that armed unrest would be the most effective way to end slavery. “Let your motto be resistance,” he exclaimed, “Resistance! Resistance! No oppressed people have ever secured their liberty without resistance.”

“The need to resist, to challenge race-based assumptions, laws and practices that sought to limit black life, has always been a central tenet of African-American culture,” said Kenneth Rodgers, director of the NCCU Museum of Art.  “This resistance has many faces.  While some African-Americans demanded change at any cost, others chose nonviolent confrontations.”

African-Americans found many strategies to challenge, to struggle and to resist. From the image of “Gordon,” a formerly enslaved man whose whipped and scarred back speaks volumes about the strength needed to survive, to the sheer beauty of dancer Judith Jamison, whose creative expression calls into question notions of supposed racial inferiority. Portrait subjects were selected by photography historian and Smithsonian guest curator Deborah Willis.

The NCCU Art Museum is on Lawson Street across from the Farrison–Newton Communications Building. The Museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. The exhibit will run until Jan. 15, 2012.

African American History Month Events in Durham

February is African American History month and Durham has a lot of history to share. Home to many African-American historic sites, Durham citizens have made tremendous contributions to the state and nation. Download the African-American Heritage Guide, produced by the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau, to learn more.

There are lots of events going on around Durham so make your plans and visit www.facebook.com/mydurham to see what others are doing. In honor of African-American History Month, The Hayti Heritage Center will host these events.

Feb. 4- March 31, African American Quilt Circle bi-annual exhibition “Reflections”. Opening reception with light refreshments and entertainment by The Baron Tymas Trio, February 4 at 6pm. Public Invited (FREE)

February 6, Dolan Perkins Valdez, Meet the Author of WENCH, Co-Sponsored by Durham Public Library, 3:00pm (FREE)

February 10, “Jazz Then and Now” a public conversation between Branford Marsalis and Jazz Loft Project Director, Sam Stephenson. 7:00pm. Co-Sponsored by the Nasher Museum (FREE)

February 13, 8th Annual Valentine’s Jazz Festival features pre-concert talk by Jimmy Heath at 3:00pm; concert featuring Duke, NCCU and UNC, join John Brown, Ira Wiggins and Kim Ketch with Jimmy Heath at 4:00pm. (Ticketed event)

February 17 – 20, 17th Annual Hayti Heritage Film Festival; Community Day Film Screening February 17 of “Waiting for Superman” at 6:30pm and panel discussion (FREE). Festival continues February18-20, check website for film schedule, workshops and special guest. (Ticketed event) http://www.haytifilmfest.org/

February 18, Jambalaya Soul Slam's 7th annual Erotic Poetry Slam featuring Dani - doors open at 11pm and the show starts 12:00 midnight (For mature audience only) (Ticketed event)

February 19, Jambalaya Slam Academy's writing and performance workshop facilitated by national spoken word artists. 11am-1pm Registration required (ticketed event) limited space available.

February 28, African American Postal Workers and the Fight for Justice: a Community Forum features Professor Phil Rubio and others. Co-Sponsored by Durham Public Library, 3:00pm (FREE)