Capitol Broadcasting Vice President of Real Estate challenges members of Rotary Club to vote

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Onlookers at Monday’s Downtown Durham Rotary Club meeting were surprised by Michael Goodmon’s rant. Goodmon, vice president of real estate at Capitol Broadcasting Company, told Rotary members Durham needs systemic change, but at the same time we have to triage the emergency of today.

People were surprised because it was a first for the Rotary Club crowd. Goodmon choosing between police funding and defunding the police is a false choice.

Goodmon told members of the Rotary Club to consider the rise in violent crime.

As of September 25, 594 shootings are recorded in Durham, with 205 people being shot. On Monday, September 17, a man was shot while driving in Durham.

A woman in attendance asked a pressing question – what happens if one Political Action Committee controls the entire city? Goodmon told the crowd it will only happen if we allow it.

The sentiment among the people in the room mirrored the assertion of The Friends of Durham. The bi-partisan, Durham focused PAC has launched an aggressive campaign to defeat candidates interested in defunding Durham’s police department.

The Friends of Durham endorses Elaine O’Neal for Mayor after Javier Caballero called for defunding the police.

“I wholeheartedly believe in defunding the police,” reporter Thomasi McDonald highlighted in comments made by Caballero during the June 15 city council meeting. “I know what I want in the future of Durham, and I want less police.”

The City Council approved a $2.8 million budget to create the Community Safety Department. The funding came from the city’s General Fund and required the transfer of vacant positions from other departments, including five unfilled jobs from the police department.

The pilot program will use civilians to respond to 911 calls instead of police officers. The department will include 15 full-time staff, two 911 operators, two social workers and two field responders.

“In its inaugural year, the department will have three primary functions: piloting alternative response models for 911 calls for service, collaborating with community members to identify and text new approaches to public safety and managing and evaluating existing contracts and external partnerships intended to advance public safety,” a statement in the city manager’s budget states.

The pilot program is struggling to get off the ground due to an uptick in shootings and complaints involving 911 response time. The city is searching for a new police chief after C.J. Davis left Durham to become the police chief in Memphis, Tennessee. Developing a comprehensive police reform strategy is complicated when there isn’t a police chief to oversee the process.

In addition to O’Neal, a former superior court judge and dean of the North Carolina Central University law school, The Friends of Durham endorses city council incumbents DeDreanna Freeman and Mark-Anthony Middleton based on their support for what is believed to be a more balanced approach to police reform. The PAC endorses Leonardo Williams, a two-time Durham Teacher of the Year and owner of Zweli’s, America’s first Zimbabwean restaurant, over A.J. Williams, director of incubation and ideation labs at Southern Vision Alliance, a member of Durham Beyond Police and vocal supporter of police abolition.

“I’m a member of the city council. There is no disagreement involving finding alternative solutions,” Middleton said during a recent campaign rally. “We want to look at everything. They only want to look at one thing.”

Goodmon’s rant represents the assessment of many Durham voters. Durham is in a state of emergency. Considering new approaches to public safety is a good thing, but you can’t get there when the wheels are falling off the wagon.

 

OneKMB: "We will not stand by and watch the slaughter of our children"

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Twenty-five students from the African American Male Initiative at North Carolina Central University made their way up the steps at the Hayti Heritage Center. Their marron jackets and prideful strut illustrated why the more than fifty people gathered waited for their arrival.

They represented the core of Black people’s dreams.

Founders of OneKMB (One Thousand Black Men) called a meeting to discuss the future of Durham. It was a blending of eulogy and revival with an action plan targeting increased gun violence.

“When we have kids using bathtubs for shields in Durham, we can do better than that,” Antonio Jones, chair of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and one of the founders of OneKMB, said.

Black men stood in an area above the crowd – like a commissioned army taking an oath of service. They wore the pride of a common bond, a commitment stirred by memories of scuffling in a world conditioned to discount Black men.

“We’re brothers. We’re fathers. We’re sons, uncles, and in some capacity, we’re mentors and coaches,” Omar Beasley, past chair of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and co-founder of OneKMB, said. “We, as a community of Black men, have been working together to galvanize our efforts, but now is the time that we can not allow Covid to be the reason for us to not put our plans and programs in action.”

A year has passed since OneKMB organized as a challenge to Black men. When the city was shut down due to Covid-19, crime didn’t take time off. In Durham, and in places across America, gun violence has escalated during Covid-19.

“We are here because there is no species on the planet that will stand by and watch you slaughter their offspring,” city council member Mark-Anthony Middleton said. “From the smallest turtle to the fiercest lion, there is no species on the plant that will just idly stand by and watch their children killed. Whether they wear feathers or talons, we will not stand by and watch the slaughter of our children as a spectator sport.”

Middleton, another co-founder of OneKMB with Leonardo Williams, a candidate for the city council, says he’s issuing a clarion call to every Black man in Durham.

“Whether you are in the board room, or on the corner. Whether you’ve been to college or not. No matter what area you participate in life, we need every Black man in this city to stand up, unite and say it’s up to us,” Middleton said. “We are not here to exempt the government, or to relieve them of their responsibilities. But we are here to say we are going to be perpetual, persistent partners in saving our children because we do not need permission to save our lives.”

Middleton announced the four pillars of OneKMB. The group will advocate for policies and programs already formed to address the needs of Black people.

“So, I’m saying to our local and state officials, adequately fund programs that are for us and by us,” Beasley said. “We have existing programs, existing plans, that don’t have adequate funding.”

Middleton says OneMKB will be a support system for existing programs.

“We will now have a virtual army, a data base of 1,000 plus men that are willing to come in and buttress up your program,” Middleton said.

OneKMB will also build an economic development strategy that utilizes resources among Black men to create pathways to opportunities. Middleton says some Black men have special access due to experience and relationships to offer direct intervention.

“Some can pull up and speak to brothers directly,” Middleton said. “They can go into situations and pull people out.”

Williams says his work with OneKMB is personal.

“I’ve lost count personally of how many students I’ve lost. Whether they were the killer or the one who was killed,” Williams, a two-time Durham Teacher of the Year, said. “What I can say consistently is they are all victims, and that is what we have to stop.”

Williams acknowledged that people are doing the work to curtail gun violence without adequate resources, while far too many people are left wondering what to do.

“I think we have been waiting for permission, but also we have been audience participants for too long,” Williams said. “Now, we’re sitting back eating popcorn watching news stories.”

Chair of the Board of County Commissioners Brenda Howerton and Sheriff Clarence Birkhead respond to shootings in Durham

 

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Brenda Howerton, chair of the Durham Board of County Commissioners says she cringes whenever the phone rings after 10:00 p.m. It reminds her of the two phone calls she received informing her two of her sons were killed.

Her gut gets uneasy when she reads the news about another mother losing a child to gun violence. It’s part of a personal life mission that inspired her to run for public office. It matters more than anything. More than the budget to fund public schools or other matters involving the state of county government.

The recent shootings in the parking deck on the campus of North Carolina Central University was another reminder. Her son Lamont was killed by a navy soldier at a party organized by students at Hampton University. He was only 26 years old. Her youngest son Darryl was a student at North Carolina A&T University when he was shot and killed by the police. He was only 17 years old.

Two Black men killed before turning thirty. The grip of the pain is too much for any mother to endure. It doesn’t matter if she’s the chair of the board of county commissioners.

Clarence Birkhead is Durham County Sheriff. He’s a Black man sick and tired of being sick and tired. He’s tired of witnessing increased homicides with declining resources to combat what feels like a war in the streets. It’s the good guys against the bad guys, but the way the budgets work in local government the good guys are treated like the bad guys.

Birkhead and Howerton have teamed up to write a statement regarding gun violence in Durham County. You’re left feeling shit is personal for two Black people called and appointed to protect and serve the citizens of Durham County.

Words mean more when written from the gut.

“Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me,” records the writer of Psalm 42:7.

A statement of faith when nothing else seems to work.

Statement from Durham County Commissioner Chair Brenda Howerton and Sheriff Clarence F. Birkhead in response to shootings near NCCU Campus

First of all, I sincerely ask that you join me in sending thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims that were lost in the senseless shootings that took place near North Carolina Central University on this past Saturday and Monday.

No family is ever prepared for the knock on the door, at an unexpected time of day or night, that results in the unthinkable news that one’s family member will never return home. Sadly, I know that experience all too well, and indeed my heart is heavy. I know that our community is absolutely heartbroken at this time as we see this senseless violence continue.

Residents at the McDougald Terrace public housing complex, within walking distance of the North Carolina Central University campus, have also been traumatized by gun violence and for far too long. No parent should be forced to hold their child tight fearful that a stray bullet may take their life. No child should be forced to contend with the site of a dead body on the ground as they wait for first responders to take the body away.

During the months of this pandemic, we’ve seen an increase of violence in our community. As of August 28^th, our Durham Police Department had investigated 33 criminal homicides, which is higher than the same period a year ago.

Let me be clear. This problem of gun violence is a problem that is escalating everywhere ─ in cities large and small. Some say it’s because there are too many guns in the hands of too many people. Others say if people had more access to jobs, our crime and violence would be reduced. Still others note that more mental health services are needed because too many people are stressed out. I say all the above are true.

At his recent news conference, Chancellor Johnson Akinyele spoke in great detail about the considerable resources that have been received and implemented to provide a safe environment for students and staff.  And he also asked for more resources from the State, City, and the County to help combat violent crime.

I will say that both of our local governments have taken steps to address gun violence in Durham. This year the County entered an interlocal agreement to with the City expanding our Violence Interruption program known as Bull City United.

This nationally recognized program works in specific neighborhoods with a long-standing history of violence. Bull City United interrupters and outreach workers engage the community to get involved by conveying the message that violence is not normal and violent behavior can be changed. The program was expanded because it has worked. While BCU is not currently near this campus, there is a chance that it could be added in the future.

Durham County provided funds to Durham Technical Community College for an enhanced job training program which is in the final stages of design. With assistance from our industry partners at Merck and Corning, the pilot program will provide job skills for 25 students in high demand careers. The objective is to help the participants succeed and become employed in Durham’s expanding life sciences companies and more.

Finally, we all want to see change, but we must work together to make it happen. We can and must do more. The City and the County will continue to work together to review our systems to keeping Durham safe. We can instruct our law enforcement agencies to research successful best practices and bring forth new ideas for community policing.  We need community members to speak up and report when they see circumstances that may result in violence. All of us have a role to play if we are to make Durham the safe community that I know it can become.

Our Durham County Sheriff Clarence F. Birkhead is of course a key partner in this work, and I am delighted that he agreed to join me by sharing his concerns in the following statement:

 

“I support Chair Howerton and Durham County’s commitment to combating the gun violence plaguing our communities, particularly communities of color. We, as a city, can no longer accept gun violence in our communities as a way of life. It is time for action. And it is time for all of us to work together. Remaining silent indicates a level of our complicity in the growing gun violence problem. 

Let me be clear: someone out there knows who is responsible for what happened at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), and in the second shooting incident in as many days, where the lives of three men from our local community were cut short. We need the community to help us solve these crimes. This plea also goes for many of the other homicide and shooting victims that keep happening across Durham. Our community needs to speak up because silence makes this problem worse.

We need the community to call us when they hear, witness, or have information about any crime. Tips can be called in anonymously to either Crime Stoppers at (919) 683-1200 or the Durham County Sheriff’s Office tip-line at (919) 560-7151.

As your Sheriff, I am focused on solutions. To that end, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office will continue to work closely with the Durham Police Department, as well as NCCU Police and their administration, to ensure the safety of students, faculty, and staff. Additionally, we will extend the full measure of our investigative resources to identify the perpetrators and hold those accountable for their actions.

We can reduce gun violence across Durham by doing what we do best - working together as a community and supporting one another.”

Clarence F. Birkhead, Sheriff

Brenda A. Howerton, Chair

Durham Board of Commissioners

 

 

 

The complicated history of Durham's Hayti Business District sheds light on lost Black power and a divided community

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It seemed to be a proposal to good to be true. The federal government was offering the guarantee of resurrecting communities across America. Durham’s Hayti district was on their list.

Two-hundred acres in an area labeled blighted was identified by city leaders. It was 1957, and the $600,000 placed on the table was enough to launch the Durham Redevelopment Commission. Robinson O. Everett, who holds the record as the youngest faculty member in Duke’s history at twenty-two, was named the chair. Paul Brooks, who served as Durham’s planning director, was appointed the acting executive director until Ben T. Perry III took the reins in 1962.

The commission managed seven projects. Contracts were secured with mostly white-owned realty, construction, architectural and legal firms. A bond referendum was proposed to support the $8.6 million estimated to complete the urban renewal project.

The people who would lose their homes and businesses were assured they would be fully compensated. The debate was fierce with many people objecting to federal intervention in Durham’s affairs. There was talk about increased taxes to pay for the bond issue.

John Hervey Wheeler, president of Mechanics & Farmers Bank, used his influence as the Chair of the Durham Committee on Negro Affairs (now the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People) to lobby in support of the bond.

The bond passed by 3%.

“The bitterness caused by Hayti’s destruction was compounded by the failure on the part of Durham’s leaders to fulfill their promise and rebuild a better Hayti,” Jean Bradley Anderson writes in Durham County: A History of Durham County, North Carolina. “Twenty-five years later the land that had bustled with life was still a wasteland overgrown with weeds.”

The freeway and six other projects cost $41.6 million. The federal government paid two-thirds of the cost. The ultimate price was paid by the 4,057 households and 502 businesses forced to move.

What followed was a ghastly chain reaction that must have felt like karma. In 1966, Southern Railroad decided to discontinue passenger service through Durham. Members of the city council didn’t oppose the decision. Duke University did their best to stop the decision along with the editorial board of the Durham Morning Herald and the Chamber of Commerce.

The old Southern flare that prompted memories of the benefits of tobacco money soon disappeared. It wasn’t just Hayti that was torn down, building by building, block by block, the old was replaced by the promise of something new. The change continued for over a decade with the demolition of the old Washington Duke Hotel striking concerns in 1975.

Beyond the loss of a once vibrant Black community, historical properties and the insertion of a highway connecting Durham to the Research Triangle Park, the pride and power of the Durham Committee on Negro Affairs began to dwindle.

It was a painful miscalculation. Many people blamed Wheeler for supporting the bond.

Asa T. Spaulding, the former president of North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance, was interviewed by Walter Wear for the Southern Oral History Program Collection on April 16, 1979. He was asked why Wheeler never ran for public office.

“He likes to succeed in what he’s trying to do and where he’s trying to lead people,” Spaulding said. “And sometimes, even no matter how much ambition you may have, if you’re going to put the good of the people above your own selfish interest, you may have to sacrifice yourself for the good of the people.”

Wheeler seemed to be good at placing the needs of others above his own. In 1968, he was part of an interracial group of businesspeople established to build one hundred single family houses for low-income residents. Durham Investment Company set aside $65,000 to develop units that sold for $10,000 to $12,000. Other members of the group included Mary Duke Semans, J.J. Henderson, Ben Ruffin, Floyd Flecther, and James R. Hawkins.

Spaulding said Wheeler made enemies due to his activism. He was able to harness his power because of his relationship with the Black community.

“You see, you can do some things if you’re independent that you can’t if you’re not. And because his livelihood and means of survival was not dependent on being the employee of a white institution – because his support came from the Black community,” Spaulding said. “I’m talking about economic support. And his base of his political strength was in the Black community. And being a Black, too, and if you’re going to be worthy, sometimes you have to give yourself for a cause if you believe in the cause. And if you don’t do that, then you become a hypocrite, and that soon will show up.”

Did Wheeler and the Durham Committee on Negro Affairs’ support of urban renewal impact relationships with the Black community? Maybe. Is there an opinion among older residents, who remember the days leading up to urban renewal, that class division played a role in Wheeler’s support of the bond issue? Maybe.

We do know the demolition of Hayti was a massive miscalculation.

The Hayti urban renewal project was completed in 1973. Wheeler died on July 6, 1978, at the age of 70. His legacy in supporting Black people and their causes transcends his decision to support the 1962 urban renewal bond. Still, questions linger.

Who made money on the seven projects supported by the Durham Redevelopment Commission? How many of the companies were Black owned?

What about the masses of dreams deferred?

The dust stirred by the bulldozers lingers like ghosts conjuring memories of broken promises. There’s work to be down among those weeds.

Hopefully, the next proposal won’t come packaged with a few acres of swamp land two miles outside of Creedmoor.

 

Leonardo Williams and Mark-Anthony Middleton join a group of Black men in calling for remedies to mounting gun violence

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Leonardo Williams is joining forces with Mark-Anthony Middleton in a challenge for Black men to help curb gun violence in Durham.

It’s been a year since Williams and Middleton co-founded OneKMB (One Thousand Black Men). Both are busy campaigning for Durham’s city council. Middleton is the incumbent in Ward 2. Williams is running against A.J. Williams to replace Pierce Freelon as the Ward 3 representative.

Williams and Middleton are pausing their campaigns because they’ve seen too much to wait.

“Public safety is not a binary issue with one answer. It’s ensuring that we can live and prosper without fear of losing lives,” Williams wrote in a statement released to the press. “I have a son, I hire young men, I’m a Black man; so, it’s personal for me. I’m committed to hiring, mentoring, and growing young men of color, yet I’m in direct competition with forces that do not have our best interest at heart. I refuse to sit idly and watch another young man’s life end senselessly.

Omar Beasley, past president of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, John Rooks, Jr., former candidate for Durham city council, and Antonio Jones, president of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, are also co-founders of OneKBM.

Middleton says Covid-19 would not allow the group to meet and organize like they needed to last year. OneKMB plans to generate and facilitate resources for mentoring groups, organization, and economic ecosystems throughout Durham. They are challenging local governments and concerned citizens to devise an action plan to address gun violence.

“This call for 1000 Black Men to assemble is not meant to excuse nor exempt the government from its responsibilities; it is rather meant to augment and complement the efforts to literally preserve Durham’s future,” Middleton said. “We do not need permission to save our own lives.”

The press release notes recent police data that has Durham on pace to surpass 2016 as the deadliest year on record.

“To counter the uptick in gun violence, Black men of several organization and ministries are asked to join a mass action movement in order to keep our communities accountable and change the trajectory of young men of color who are committing crimes and are the victims of crime, enhance their engagement in the community, and provide access to stable jobs and workforce development,” the OneKBM press release states. On Friday, OneKBM will begin a movement that will directly impact how Black men are involved in Durham’s public safety.”

Black men are asked to meet on Friday, September 24, at noon on the steps of the Hayti Heritage Center.

Durham's participatory budgeting process may raise concerns of conflict of interest

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 Details involving Durham’s Participatory Budgeting process raise questions regarding Mayor Pro Tem Jillian Johnson and the perception of conflict of interest.

Along with Johnson’s involvement as the city council representative on the Participatory Budgeting Steering Committee, three members with direct contact with Johnson made a decision that resulted in an organization started by Johnson receiving the maximum amount allowed.

A.J. Williams, a candidate in Durham’s Ward 3 city council seat, serves as the Director of Incubation and Ideation Labs for Southern Vision Alliance. Johnson is the Co-Chair of the Southern Vision Alliance Board of Directors and is the former Director of Operations and Chief Financial Officer for the nonprofit organization.

Marion T. Johnson, who is running to unseat Durham City Council Ward 1 representative DeDreanna Freeman, was selected to serve as the Chair of the Participatory Budgeting Steering Committee. Marion T. Johnson participated as a member of Jillian Johnson campaign team.

Susan E. Goodman is a member of the steering committee. She's the mother of Paul Bendich, Johnson's partner. Bendich and Johnson are the parents of two children. Records indicate Goodman resides at the same address on record for Johnson and Bendich.

The Participatory Budgeting Steering Committee awarded Southern Vision Alliance $50,000; the maximum allowed during the Phase 2, 2021 budget cycle.

Participatory budgeting is one of Jillian Johnson’s pet projects. In 2018, the city staff recommended $750,000 to initially fund participatory budgeting. Johnson suggested $2.5 million. The city council approved $2.4 million because it would be easier to divide among Durham’s three wards.

Mayor Steve Schewel and City Council member Mark-Anothy Middleton voted against the proposed figure. Middleton supported the staff recommendation of $750,000, claiming $2.4 million is too much for a start-up program given residents are having a hard time keeping their homes and finding jobs.

Freeman voted in support but questioned the transparency of the process.

“It feels a lot like our legislature right now and I’m concerned about that,” Freeman said.

Javier Caballero pushed for Johnson’s $2.5 million proposal, arguing voters should have the right to determine how taxes are spent.

“For me, part of this is allowing people who don’t normally get to participate to participate in something very important,” Caballero said.

Durham voters may wonder about a process promoted by a member of the city council that manipulates who participates to advance funding for an organization that council member founded and continues to serve as the board chair.

Phase 2 Participatory Grant Winners were divided into three categories.

Children, Youth and Family Wellness

Families Moving Forward                                           $50,000

Book Harvest                                                             $40,000

H.E.A.R.T.S.                                                              $50,000

Diaper Bank of North Carolina                                  $50,000

World Relief Durham                                                 $45,500

Association for the Prevention                                  $47,944

            of the Eno River Valley

ISLA                                                                          $30,000

Purpose Learning Lab                                              $15,000

Bull City Little League                                              $50,000

 

Community Building & Economic Opportunity

TROSA                                                                   $40,000

Durham Literacy Council                                        $50,000

StepUp Durham                                                      $50,000

SEED                                                                      $50,000

Equity Before Birth                                                  $50,000

Durham Children’s Initiative                                    $50,000

Durham Teen Court & Restitution                           $25,000

Southern Vision Alliance                                     $50,000

Be Connected Durham                                           $50,000

 

Health & Human Services

El Future                                                                $47,115

Life Skills Foundation                                             $50,000

Center for Children                                                $49,415

            & Family Health

CAARE                                                                  $50,000

*DeDreanna Freeman is an employee of the Durham Children's Initiatve. She did not serve as a member of the Participatory Budgeting Steering Committee

McDougald Terrace resident Ashley Canady embodies "power to the people"

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Don’t be deceived by Ashley Canady’s petite frame. The President of the McDougald Terrace Resident Council carries a big punch.

She’s willing to fight on behalf of the residents in her community. Canady went into the ring when hundreds of tenants were evacuated after carbon monoxide was discovered leaking throughout the public housing complex. She rallied Durham citizens to support her neighbors when they needed food and supplies due to spending more than three months cramped in hotel rooms.

Canady is a champion prize fighter who uses her words and reputation to impact change. She bawled with relentless fury after over one hundred rounds of assault weapon ammunition was found scattered throughout her neighborhood.

Three men and a woman were shot on that night. Canady was returning from a store when the shooting happened. She told a reporter with WRAL the shots kept coming. Canady grabbed her son, stripped him down, fearing he’d been shot. That’s when she heard the police call her name.

"What really broke my heart was how many times I called 911 and nobody picked up," Canady told WRAL after the shooting. "I called six times and on the sixth try, I finally got somebody to pick up. It was just the worst thing when you have so many victims around you and the community is in chaos, and then just to see all the bullets out here ... something has to be done."

Canady says one of the officers who showed up that night was still on sight the next day.

“There were only 24 police on call that night,” Canady said.

Canady says difficulties in reaching 911, combined with concerns regarding police funding, factor into resident’s supporting Elaine O’Neal for mayor and DeDreanna Freeman and Mark-Anthony Middleton for city council.

Her neighbors have been traumatized by the sight and sound of gun violence. On Saturday, within walking distance from her backyard, two men were shot and killed in the parking deck on the campus of North Carolina Central University.

It happened while more than 5,600 people attended a football game. The O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium and surrounding roads were placed on lockdown as police looked for the shooter or shooters.

“Thanks to the well-trained, quick acting NCCU Police Department, no members of the NCCU community or its’ guest were impacted by this tragedy,” the NCCU administration stated in a press release. “The Department immediately put their skills to work in bravely guarding the well-being of NCCU students, faculty, staff and guest.”

It’s hard not to think about the guest who live across the street.

Last week, Canady used her social media platform to bring attention to students being bypassed by bus drivers. Her impassioned appeal got the attention of Alexandra Valladares, a former resident at McDougald Terrance and member of the Durham Public School Board.

It helps having close friends in high places.

It helps even more to have advocates like Ashley Canady to bring attention when things fall through the cracks.

If we scream loudly, maybe we can convince her to run for office to replace a person she says lacks real love for her people.

 

 

 

9

 

9.19 Durham Native Day is about being seen and heard

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DONALD HUGHES DECIDED to organize 9.19 Durham Natives Day in response to growing concerns among people born and raised in the Bull City.

“The history of Black folks who literally bled to make Durham equitable matters,” Hughes posted September 5, 2021, on his Facebook page. “There would be no progressive Durham for white liberals to enjoy and gentrify without the toiling of Black folks who were born here.”

9.19 Durham Natives Day kicked off with a photoshoot in front of the Downtown Durham Public Library. The newly renovated state of the art facility is the perfect location to honor the contributions of men and women born in Durham. Forty-two people wore t-shirts naming their pride in Durham. Fifteen attendees under the age of 16 prompted messages about the future.

“I’m so glad to see these young people here,” Brenda Howerton, chair of the Durham County Board of County Commissioners, said. “We are here because of you.”

Howerton was among the few in the crowd not born in Durham. She moved to Durham in 1986 and has been active in local politics for more than 20 years.

“I’m here because I’ve seen people without relationships with Durham residents claim the right to speak on their behalf,” Howerton said. “I’m not from Durham, but I do my best to listen to people born in Durham.”

Leonardo Williams was named Durham Teacher of the Year twice. He shared the heartbreaking story of a call he received from one of his employees.

“He told me he was coming to work, but didn’t know if he would offer much,” Williams said. “His brother was killed in the shooting last night at NCCU.”

There was a sadness reflective of doing his best to make a difference. Williams’ brother spent time in prison. After his release, it was difficult for him to find work. Williams uses Zweli's, the restaurant he owns with his wife, to employ formerly incarcerated men and women.

Elaine O’Neal talked about life in Durham before gentrification altered the lives of Black and Brown people. The candidate for mayor has been busy listening to the concerns of Durham residents. She has successfully garnered support from local Brown residents who say Javiera Caballero is supported by state and national Latina groups with limited ties to Durham.

A.J. Williams, a candidate for Ward 3 City Council, says he’s a fourth generation Durham native.  He stood beside the other Williams competing for the same seat. Their mutual respect suggests something much deeper than a desire to win a local election.

The moment was about being seen and heard. It was a celebration of the city that gave birth to the dreams of Black and Brown residents. It was a critical response to the political rhetoric dismissive of the people who watched Durham thrive and fall apart after a blitz of outsiders with their own agenda.

“That’s why you should give a shit when someone says I was born and raised in Durham,” Hughes posted on his Facebook page.

It’s a message for the people who run for political office after living in Durham for less than five years. It’s a rebuke to the people who disregard what Durham was like before they arrived.

The people in the picture have witnessed both good and bad days. Many remember school merger and the Duke Lacrosse Rape scandal. They remember the heated debate to downsize the city council, and the pain after the death of Shaquana Atwater, who was killed three days short of her third birthday while sitting on the porch with her mother.

They remember the march to Few Gardens after Atwater’s death. They remember the moans and tears.

Howerton was one of the people in the crowd that day in 1998. She was grieving the death of her two sons - Lamont and Darryl. Howerton wasn’t born in Durham, but she has experienced enough to understand the pain.

The picture is only the first step in celebrating 9.19 Durham Natives Day.

“As Durham continues to grow, we recognize that this growth comes with some natural pains,” the announcement on the event page states. “Durham natives are seeing the city we love so much become so distant and foreign to us. From the lack of affordable housing to neighborhoods that seemingly discard our history to downtown that is unrecognizable, we just want our city to not leave us behind as it continues to change.”

We see you. We hear you.