Welcome to the Supporters of Durham 150 newsletter, designed to keep those interested in Durham’s sesquicentennial updated on all the planning activities surrounding the yearlong commemoration.

Last Round of Durham 150 Grants Awarded

Since the last newsletter, we formally announced the 28 grant recipients of the final round of funding. This third round of funding totaled more than $29,000, exhausting the $100,000 available for supporting anniversary-related community events or projects. For a complete list of earlier grants awarded, please go here.

To participate in an event or project funded by a grant, please visit the calendar and look for those marked as a ‘Durham 150 Grantee.’ The website also has a form to submit your event information if you’re planning something to celebrate the sesquicentennial.

Durham 150 Staff Highlight

There is an amazing amount of activity taking place behind the scenes to commemorate the City of Durham’s 150th anniversary (more than the staff of Discover Durham or the Museum of Durham History could dream of staying on top of on our own!). Durham 150 staff has been coordinating a grant program, 150+ events, signature events, sponsorships, marketing efforts, historical content, and more. If you haven’t already met the Durham 150 staff, we wanted to take some time over the next few newsletters to e-introduce you to those working to pull the commemoration off in style.

Gineen Cargo leads the Durham 150 team as project manager. Raised in Charlotte, Gineen spent her childhood visiting Durham as the child of Durham natives. After hearing about the “Old Hillside,” her uncle Henry’s singing group The Modulations, and other family stories, Gineen came to Durham in 2000 eager to attend North Carolina Central University (NCCU). She currently works at NCCU as the Wells Fargo Endowed Chair in the Department of Mass Communication and was proudly named to the 2018 NCCU 40 under 40 cohort. Additionally, Gineen is the owner of Cargo & Co. Events, and contributes to the downtown Durham business scene as the owner of Gavin Christianson Bridal, a retail bridal boutique located on Parrish Street.

As the project manager for Durham 150, Gineen is excited to advocate for entrepreneurship and historical storytelling while working to build thriving communities that help shape the future of Durham.

Taking a Moment to Thank our Sponsors

In the last email, we thanked two Durham 150 Bull City Champion sponsors, Precision BioSciences and the DMA Charitable Foundation, for contributing to the sesquicentennial commemoration.

We’d like to take a moment now to thank the Bicentennial Builders sponsors that we have on board already:

• Stewart, Inc.
• Clark Custom Builders
• Lenovo US, Inc.
• Pinecrest at Duke in memory of James Semans
• Adam Dickinson Realty Group
• Durham Technical Community College
• Linda McGill
• Ralph and Renee Snyderman
• Durham Technical Community College

What are Bicentennial Builders? They’re businesses and individuals working now to ensure Durham’s success into our community’s 200th year. Their contributions will help Durham 150 achieve its mission to recognize Durham’s past, present and future with a year of events, activities and community engagement.

You can find a full list of Durham 150 sponsors on our website.

Got your Durham 150 merch?

In case you missed it, Durham 150 t-shirts, hats, magnets and stickers are now available at www.Durham150.org/store. Don’t be the last one in town without swag! If you’re a retailer interested in carrying Durham 150 merchandise, let us know.

Upcoming Durham 150 Events

There are a host of significant events coming up for people of all ages and walks of life. Many are free and designed to help us all learn more about Durham’s past, present, and future. Find a searchable listing of all events here.

ADF Pop Up Performances
Durham 150 Grantee
June 13–July 20, 2019

Upcoming Pop-Ups:

DPAC Lawn – Mark Morris Performance
June 19, 2019
6:15 p.m.
FREE
123 Vivian St., Durham NC 27701

 

Durham City Hall Lobby-City Council Meeting
June 19, 2019
1 p,m. and 2 p.m.
FREE
101 City Hall Plaza, Durham NC 27701

 

Durham Central Park’s Farmers Market
June 22, 2019
10 a.m.
FREE
501 Foster St, Durham, NC 27701

 

Bull McCabes
June 23, 2019
3 p.m.
FREE
427 W Main St., Durham, NC 27701

 

Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina-Frontier RTP Happy Hour
June 27, 2019
5:30 p.m.
FREE
800 Park Offices Drive, Research Triangle, NC 27709

 

Brightleaf Square-Clouds Brewing
June 30, 2019
11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Ticketed
905 W Main St #22, Durham NC 27701

 

Levin Jewish Community Center
June 30, 2019
3 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.
FREE
1937 W Cornwallis Road, Durham, NC 27705

 

Durham Bulls Athletic Park
July 1, 2019
6 p.m. & During the Game
409 Blackwell St, Durham, NC 27701

Freedom thru ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Juneteenth 2019
Durham 150 Grantee
June 19
Panel Discussion and Tea
FREE
6–8 p.m.
CCB Plaza
201 Corcoran St.

ConnectEd Youth Conference
Durham 150 Grantee
June 20-21, 2019
Registration is closed

Make Music Day Durham
Durham 150 Grantee
June 21, 2019
FREE
Various Locations and Times
Contact durham@makemusicday.org to participate

Quiet No More: A Choral Celebration of Stonewall
Durham 150 Grantee
June 22
8 p.m.
The Carolina Theatre
309 W. Morgan St. 

DIY Fest
Durham 150 Grantee
June 22, 2019
12–5 p.m.
FREE
Located in Lakewood Shopping Center, 2050 Chapel Hill Rd., Durham, NC 27707

Durham Refugee Day
June 23, 2019
3–6 p.m.
FREE
Durham Central Park
501 Foster St., Durham, North Carolina 27701

Taste 2019
June 26-30, 2019
$55-$120
Multiple Locations

Don’t Get Any Ideas Little Lady
Durham 150 Grantee
June 28-30, 2019
7:30-9 p.m.
$15
Durham Fruit & Produce Co
305 S Dillard St., Durham, NC 27701

Historical Note

As we work our way through celebrating the changemakers nominated by the Sesquicentennial Honors Commission, we wanted to highlight the life and work of Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray in this newsletter during National Pride Month.

A member of the LGBTQIA+ community, the first African American Episcopal priest and Civil Rights leader, Murray grew up in Durham’s West End neighborhood. The commission’s report recounts how Murray sat in the whites-only section of the front of a bus, years before Rosa Parks; helped integrate lunch counters in Washington D.C., years before the A&T sit-in in Greensboro; and crafted legal strategy to help write the Brown v. Board of Education case for Thurgood Marshall and others litigated to desegregate public schools. It goes on to outline how Murray coined the term “Jane Crow” to reflect the oppression experienced by black women due to race and gender and co-founded the National Organization for Women.

In 2017, the Department of the Interior/National Park Service designated Pauli Murray’s family house a National Historic Landmark. The Pauli Murray Project today engages a diverse group of residents to lift the vision and legacy of Murray’s activism, scholarship, feminism, poetry, and religious work to tackle enduring inequities and injustice in our community. The Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice is scheduled to open to the public in 2020. To learn more about the Pauli Murray Project, click here. Multiple murals can also be found across Durham in celebration of her life and legacy.

Do you have a friend, family member or colleague who would be interested in receiving these Durham 150 newsletters? Let them know they can subscribe to updates on Durham 150 here.

 

Sincerely,
Shelly Green & Patrick Mucklow
Co-Chairs, Durham 150