The City of Durham

During the period between the end of the Civil War and the 1950’s, the City of Durham earned a reputation as a symbol of racial harmony, progress and equal opportunity for blacks and whites. This reputation changed quickly though with the rise of the Klan and the intense racial conflict within the city

Ku Klux Klan

The hooded member of the KKK is a powerful symbol of hate and violence against black people. The Klan’s rituals, rhetoric and imagery caused deep fear in the black community as they were associated with lynching and other acts of brutality.

Jim Crow

Jim Crow symbolized the racist laws and cultural expectations for black people in the South after the Civil War. This was an attempt by the white elite to hold onto as much control as possible over the black population in the post-slavery South...