DURHAM, N.C. – For generations, Hayti was a place where Durham’s Black community built a life of its own. Black-owned businesses lined its streets. Churches and schools served residents. Entrepreneurs created institutions that provided jobs and financial services. The neighborhood became one of the most prominent centers of Black business and culture in the country.
Today, much of that community looks different.
More than half a century after urban renewal and the construction of the Durham Freeway destroyed large portions of Hayti, residents and community organizations are still working to preserve what remains of its history while making sure the neighborhood has a future.
The question is no longer simply how to remember Hayti, it is how to make sure its Black history remains part of Durham as the city continues to develop…