Hayti and Urban Renewal in Durham

This teaching module looks at the history of Hayti, a historically Black neighborhood in Durham, focusing on the mid-twentieth century urban renewal project which was promoted as a benefit to the neighborhood but displaced many residents and Black-owned businesses. You and your classmates will use a range of primary sources to understand the perspectives of residents, government officials, and other local stakeholders, and work together to begin to put together a history of Hayti.

During this session you will:

• Examine and analyze a variety of primary sources, including oral histories, government documents, newspaper articles, maps, and ephemera.
• Evaluate and synthesize different, and at times conflicting, accounts in order to construct a historical narrative.
• Understand more about the history of Hayti and the larger Durham community.