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.

Black Wall Street's Durham Legacy Highlighted

The quaint and quiet physical nature of Parrish Street in Downtown Durham belies the massive impact the businesses that started there have, and continue to have, today. "Parrish Street, see, isn't just a fledgling innovation district in [the] Bull City," writes Laura Ohnesorge with the Triangle Business Journal. This assessment is perfectly apt.

Photo credit: Wikipedia.com

The two articles published today, one a blog post about Parrish Street proper, and the other an exhaustive piece on M&F's history, offer both insight and modern context, as well as a window on the past, as relates to these two businesses. Insight like that offered by Ohnesorge makes visiting a place that much more accessible and real because an understanding of the place's importance is so much more at hand.

Learn more about the Durham's extensive Black History online, and about visiting Durham here.