Civil Rights & Black Activism Research Guide

Introduction and Scope

Pre-Civil Rights Movement Context

Anti-Poverty Movements and Economic Prosperity

Biographies & Important Figures

Intersectional Coalitions

Protests and Demonstrations

Political Involvement

Related External Materials

 

Content Warning

This guide focuses on the people, moments, and events of Black activism in Durham. As such, it includes resources about civil rights struggles that may include descriptions of racial violence. For this reason, some of the content may be challenging. Materials listed in this guide may include racial, homophobic, and ableist slurs and language. Depending on the publication year, outdated language used to refer to Black people—including but not limited to ‘negro’/’negroes’ and ‘blacks’—may be used.

Introduction and Scope

This research guide primarily covers the 1940s-1970s. While the term ‘civil rights’ can be used to describe a variety of movements, this guide is focused specifically on the events that happened during the Civil Rights Movement from 1954-1968, with some earlier and later materials to give more context. The focus of this bibliography is Durham, but there are materials related to Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Greensboro and other parts of the state because Durham activism was influenced and impacted by events in other cities. The guide is sorted thematically and consists of archival materials, books, theses and dissertations, conference proceedings, videos, oral histories, and relevant external resources.

Pre-Civil Rights Movement Context

The resources in this section of the guide are meant to provide context on the racial climate in Durham and to highlight important moments of activism in North Carolina prior to the Civil Rights Movement. Resources in this section include the creation of the Black middle class as well as important institutions, such as North Carolina Mutual. For more information on Black economic prosperity in Durham, please see the Black Wall Street Research Guide.

Books

• North Carolina and the Negro edited by Capus M. Waynick, John C. Brooks, and Elsie W. Pitts (1964), pp. 63-76.
• Civil Rights Unionism: Tobacco Workers and the Struggles for Democracy in the Mid-Twentieth-Century South by Robert Korstad (2003).
• Defying Dixie:  The Radical Roots of Civil Rights, 1919-1950 by Glenda E. Gilmore (2008).
• Upbuilding Black Durham: Gender, Class, and Black Community Development in the Jim Crow South by Leslie Brown (2008).
• Greater Than Equal: African American Struggles for Schools and Citizenship in North Carolina, 1919-1965 by Sarah Thuesen (2013)

Theses & Conferences

• A Newspaper History of Race Relations in Durham, North Carolina 1910-1940 by Thomas H. Houck (1941). 
• Common Spaces, Separate Lives: Gender and Racial Conflict in the “Capital of the Black Middle Class” by Leslie Brown (1997).
• The Organization and Growth of Black Political Participation in Durham, NC, 1933-1958 by Robert Cannon (1975).
• Proceedings of Conference on Race Relations, North Carolina College for Negroes, July 11-13, 1945. 

Video

• Durham: A Self-portrait by Steve Channing (2007).
  • Available online through PBS North Carolina.

Anti-Poverty Movements and Economic Prosperity

These materials include information on Operation Breakthrough, a program started by Terry Sanford in 1964 that was designed to bring together community organizers, private investors, and state officials to try to improve the condition and general welfare of Durham city residents. The subtopic of this category— the impact of urban renewal on Black communities, specifically Hayti—is significant because urban renewal led to the destruction of neighborhoods and the relocation of many Black Durham residents. The removal of homes, businesses, and community institutions worsened existing economic disenfranchisement for Black Durham residents.  

Books

• Milestones Along the Color Line: a Souvenir of Durham, N.C., Showing the Progress of a Race by Oliver Quick (1922).
• My Years at the North Carolina Fund: An Oral History by George Esser with Rah Bickley (2007).
• To Right These Wrongs: The North Carolina Fund and the Battle to End Poverty and Inequality in 1960s America by Robert R. Korstad and James L. Leloudis (2010).

Thesis & Conference Proceedings

• Conference on Race Relations—An Attempted Factual Comparative Appraisal of State Services in Education, Health, and Welfare… July 10, 11, 12, 1944.
• How to Get Out of Hell by Raising It: Race and Politics in Durham’s War on Poverty by Chris Gioia (1996).

Video

• Change Comes Knocking: the Story of the North Carolina Fund contributions by Rebecca Cerese, Thomas Vickers, Jeffery West, Video Dialog Inc (2008).

Impact of Urban Renewal

Archival Material

• Jack Preiss papers (NCC.0146), Boxes 1; 11-12.
• Durham Urban Renewal Records archival finding aid (NCC.0068).
• Durham Urban Renewal Records digital copies. Most of the collection is digitized and available at DigitalNC.org.  To locate all items in the collection, search for “Durham Redevelopment Commission.”

Book

• The End of An Era by Dorothy Phelps Jones, chapter 6 (2001). 

Thesis

• Partitioning the Projects: Racial Segregation and Public Housing in Durham, North Carolina by Brittaney Aletea Lyons (2010).

Digital Materials

• Durham Urban Renewal Clippings, Volume 1 by Durham Redevelopment Commission. 1961-1963.
• Durham Urban Renewal Clippings, Volume 2 by Durham Redevelopment Commission. 1964-1965. 
• Durham Urban Renewal Clippings, Volume 3 by Durham Redevelopment Commission. 1966-1967. 
• Durham Urban Renewal Clippings, Volume 4 by Durham Redevelopment Commission. 1968-1969. 
• Durham Urban Renewal Clippings, Volume 5 by Durham Redevelopment Commission. 1970-1972. 
• Durham Urban Renewal Clippings, Volume 6 by Durham Redevelopment Commission. 1973-1974. 

Biographies & Important Figures

This section includes information on important community organizers, Black businesspeople, and academics who served as influential figures during the 1940s-1970s. Additionally, there are resources included about folks who wanted to tell their story about how the Civil Rights Movement impacted their daily lives. The Pauli Murray sub-category is listed here because of the amount of resources on this guide that specifically pertains to them. However, this is not an exhaustive list and more information on Pauli Murray can be accessed in the Pauli Murray Research Guide.

Archival Materials

• Materials on Asa Spaulding, North Carolina Collection Biography Files (NCC-BIOFILES)
• “Grabarek, Wensell civil rights materials,” Jean Bradley Anderson Papers (NCC.0002), Box 6
• Wense Grabarek Interview (2022-002)

Books

• The Best of Enemies:  Race and Redemption in the New South by Osha Gray Davidson (2018).
• Bull City Survivor: Standing Up to a Hard Life in a Southern City by Simon Partner and Emma Johnston (2013).
• No Struggle, No Progress: A Warrior’s Life from Black Power to Education Reform by Howard Fuller and contributions by Lisa Frazier Page (2014).

Theses and Conference Proceedings

• A Brief History of the Civil Rights Movement Since 1900 by Asa Spaulding (1969).
• Floyd McKissick: Portrait of a Leader by Harold Woodard (1981)
• Louis Austin and the Political Struggles of African Americans in North Carolina, 1945-1971 by Darin T. Steele (2014).
• Never Stop Working: Examining the Life and Activism of Howard Fuller by Sarah Barber (2012), chapter 2.
• “We Knew That We Were Right”:  The Civil Rights Narratives of Jake Phelps by Jonathan Leiss (2006).
  • See the External Materials section below for a link to the Jonathan Leiss papers at the Rubenstein Library at Duke University. 

Pauli Murray Related Books

• Defying Dixie:  The Radical Roots of Civil Rights, 1919-1950 by Glenda E. Gilmore (2008).
• The Firebrand and the First Lady: Portrait of a Friendship : Pauli Murray, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Struggle for Social Justice by Patricia Bell-Scott (2016). 
• Pauli Murray and Carolina Ware: Forty Years of Letters in Black and White edited by Anne Firor Scott (2006), chapter 2.
• States’ Laws on Race and Color, and Appendices: Containing International Documents, Federal Laws and Regulations, Local Ordinances and Charts by Pauli Murray (1950).

Intersectional Coalitions

This section of the guides highlights the ways that the Civil Rights movement in Durham was meant to account for gender and class, as well as some of the interracial coalitions that formed during this time. 

Books

• Our Separate Ways:  Women and the Black Freedom Movement in Durham, North Carolina by Christina Greene (2005).
• African Americans of Durham County by Andre Vann (2017), Chapter 6.
• From Pine Street to Watts Street: An Oral History of the Jews of Durham, North Carolina by Robin Gruber (1986).
• Memoir of a Race Traitor by Mab Segrest (1994).

Thesis & Conference Proceedings

• 50 Years: the National Council of Negro Women, Inc., 1935-1985; Durham Section Presents Fourth Annual Bethune Recognition Program; Theme — “Claiming Our Power,” June 29, 1985, North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company Cafeteria, Mutual Plaza, Durham, North Carolina by National Council of Negro Women Durham Section.
• Documenting Sam Reed and the Trumpet of Conscience by Lillian Louis Deloatch (2008).
  • See the External Materials section below for a link to the Sam Reed papers at the Rubenstein Library at Duke University.

Protests and Demonstrations

The materials in this section of the guide include some of the most important moments of protest and demonstration in Durham and nearby cities. This includes the Allen Building takeover in 1969 at Duke University and the subsequent creation of Malcolm X. Liberation University. This section also includes memories of folks who fought to desegregate local public places, including schools and restaurants (like Royal Ice Cream in 1957). Along with the desegregation of local public schools in Durham city, there are materials that illustrate how Durham and Chapel Hill residents worked together to try to desegregate University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Archival Materials

• Duke Protest Newspaper Clippings, 3 folders
• Durham Civil Rights Heritage Project (NCC.0040), boxes 1; 5-6
  • A portion of this collection has been digitized.
• Durham sit-in flyer (NCC_0243), 1 folder

Books

• The Allen Building Takeover of February 13, 1969 and Its Antecedents at Duke University by Harry L. Jackson (1969).
  
• Campus to Counter: Civil Rights Activism in Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina, 1960-1963 by Brian Suttell (2023).
• Civilities and Civil Rights: Greensboro, North Carolina, and the Black Struggle for Freedom by William Henry Chafe (1980).
• Courage in the Moment: the Civil Rights Struggle, 1961-1964 by Jim Wallace (2012).
• To Drink From the Well: the Struggle for Racial Equality at the Nation’s Oldest Public University by Geeta Kapur (2021).
• Durham County:  A History of Durham County, North Carolina by Jean Bradley Anderson (2011), chapter 19.
  
• Fighting for Our Place in the Sun: Malcolm X and the Radicalization of the Black Student Movement, 1960-1983 by Richard Benson II (2015).
• Julius Chambers: A Life in the Legal Struggle for Civil Rights by Richard A. Rosen (2016).
• Negro Protest and Local Politics in Durham, North Carolina by Allan P. Sindler (1965).
• A Noteworthy Sit-in: Chapel Hill, January 3, 1964 by Dorothy Hurley Osborn.
• Point of Reckoning: The Fight for Racial Justice at Duke University by Theodore Segal (2021).
• Radio Free Dixie: Robert F. Williams and the Roots of Black Power by Timothy Tyson (1999).
• Youth and the American Negro Protest Movement: a Local Case Study of Durham, North Carolina by Allan P. Sindler (1964).

Theses

• The Cost of Opportunity:  School Desegregation and Changing Race Relations in the Triangle since World War II by Jack Michael McElreath (2022).
• The Lunch Counter Sit-in Demonstrations in Durham, North Carolina by Jesse Boston (1975).
• Malcolm X Liberation University: An Experiment in Independent Black Education by Brent Belvin (2004).
• “What We Considered the Best”: Making the Best of Integration at Hillside High School: An Essay by Sarah Elizabeth Reckhow (2002).

Video

• Wense Grabarek: Desegregation and Civil Rights, 1963, Durham, North Carolina contributions by Angela Hampton, Andre Vann, WTVD (2013).

Political Involvement

Beyond public protests and demonstrations, an aspect of Black activism and Civil Rights involved getting Black Durham residents more politically involved. One of the key actors of this push included the Durham Committee on Negro Affairs (now known as the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People) who worked to advocate for politicians who would improve the wellbeing of Black citizens. Additionally, Black churches were incredibly influential in the Civil Rights movement and in encouraging people to become politically activated.

Archival Material

• Durham Civil Rights Heritage Project (NCC.0040), boxes 1; 5-6
  • A portion of this collection has been digitized.

Books

• Liberalism, Black Power, and the Making of American Politics, 1965-1980 by Devin Fergus (2009)

Theses

• “Fight on Christian Soldier”: The Role of Black Churches in the Freedom Struggles of Durham, North Carolina 1955-1970 by Christopher Leevy Johnson. 
• Keep Your Eyes on the Prize:  The Struggle for Civic Equality in Durham, North Carolina, 1954-1963 by Chris D. Howard.
• Negro Politics in Four Southern Counties by Robert Lewis Bowman, chapters 2-5.
• The Ordeal of Liberalism and Black Nationalism in an American Southern State, 1965-1980 by Devin Fergus.
• “The Struggle for Freedom Begins Every Morning”:  The Durham Committee on Negro Affairs, 1935-1970 by Brandon Kyron Lenzie Winford.

Related External Materials

Ann Atwater interviews, 2006, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Chris D. Howard papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Chris D. Howard conducted oral histories and collected research on various political and civil rights leaders in Durham as a part of their senior honor’s thesis. Some of the audio in this collection has been digitized. 

Floyd B. McKissick papers #4930, Southern Historical Collection of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the African American Resources Collection of North Carolina Central University.

Floyd B. McKissick was a civil rights leader and attorney. He did a lot of work regarding Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and local and national NAACP activities. Some of the materials in this collection are digitized. Potentially relevant digitized materials include:

• • Subseries 3.1.1.: Correspondence, 1961-1982 and undated about Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and arrests around desegregation protests in North Carolina.  
  • Subseries 3.1.2.: Administrative Materials, 1961-1970 and undated about CORE’s annual convention, including the 22nd one which took place in Durham in 1965. 
  • Subseries 3.3.1.: Correspondence, 1949-1974 and undated about NAACP North Carolina chapters & also public school integration. 
  • Subseries 3.3.2.: Administrative Materials, 1954-1980 and undated about Durham NAACP chapter. 

Jonathan Leiss papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University. 

This collection includes oral histories relating to Leiss’ research on Jake Phelps, an influential Duke administrator and activist.

North Carolina Civil Rights Movement, 1973-1992 within Duke University Oral History Program Collection, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Sam Reed papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Sam Reed was a political and community activist who did work regarding race and class relations in Durham. Some of the materials were turned into a digital collection titled Sam Reed and the Trumpet of Consciousness.

We Shall Not Be Moved: A History of Anti-Expressway Organizing by the Crest Street Community in Durham, North Carolina by Emily Goldstein. 2018. 67 p. Honors Thesis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Women-In-Action’s Brand of Biracial Activism: The Politics of Race, Gender, and Class in 1960s-1970s Durham by Catherine Miller. 2012. 38 p. Course paper, Duke University.

Southern Oral History Program at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Southern Oral History Program (SOHP) is housed within the Center for the Study of the American South and offers thousands of oral histories on a wide variety of topics. Some projects specifically relevant to this guide are:

• • The Long Civil Rights Movement: This specific project has over 1,000 oral histories within it ranging from a variety of subtopics including Black credit unions, degregating of local high schools, and general biographies on folks fighting for civil rights in North Carolina. 
  • Southern Communities: Individual Projects: Crest Street Community Stories: Contains 6 oral histories of folks who fought against the construction of the Durham Freeway and the destruction of parts of their neighborhood.

 

This page was originally created by Sophia Chimbanda, Hart Leadership Fellow at Duke University, in Spring 2024. Corrections or additions may have been made by NCC staff.