When the wave of urban renewal hit Durham in the 1960s, Hayti was its main victim. By most accounts, the construction of the Durham Highway through Hayti wiped out the neighborhood's thriving local businesses, taking with it the neighborhood as a whole. Hayti was established early in Durham's history, when African Americans, who immigrated to Durham primarily to work in the tobacco factories, settled in the vicinity of Fayetteville Road. On land owned by white merchants. Although the land was initially rented, it was eventually purchased as accumulated economic capital in the community.
For 100 years (1867-196), Durham's Hayti and Black Wall Street overcame adversity and survived virtually undisturbed. However, the relentless practice of politics and the practice of Jim Crow were intended to redistribute the dollar that was previously segregated by blacks. So, while the black community remained largely unwelcome in the white establishments, their money was needed. Therefore, the growth of the white community was driven by social integration, and the growth of the black community was frustrated by a lack of reciprocity.
For the past 20 years, the 20-acre Fayette Place housing complex has remained empty due to site-related health risks. After its abandonment, the site became a center of high crime. At its peak, this complex included 200 housing units. Originally, entire black families were allowed to move into this house.
Soon after, male figures were forced to leave so that women and children could receive public benefits. This began a process that destroyed many black family units and economic mobility. This narrative is not unique to the Fayette Place site, or even to Durham. Similar stories occurred across the United States, creating much of the systematic desperation that the black community continues to face.
It continued to thrive during the 1930s and 1940s, as beautifully portrayed in the film Black Durham Marches On, commissioned by Durham Business and Professional Chain (an African-American business group). When ABC11 contacted the North Carolina Department of Transportation for information about plans to reconfigure the entrance and exit ramps of the Durham Highway on Fayetteville Street to create a more pedestrian-friendly path from Hayti to the city center, the DOT said the plans are on hold for now, suspended indefinitely.
