Durham Chamber Celebrates Black History Month

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In 1925 John Scarborough purchased the old Lincoln Hospital building with plans to open a day care home for young children, many of whom resided in African American community of Hayti. The home served infants, preschoolers, and school-aged children.

Clydie Scarborough, John’s wife, became executive director in 1932 and would serve in a leadership capacity for 50 years.

Scarborough Nursery School, Inc. continues its mission today and is the oldest licensed nursery school in the state of North Carolina.

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In 1927 Regal Theatre, an African American owned live entertainment venue and movie theatre, was added to the selfsufficient and thriving Hayti community.

George Logan built and operated the theater on East Pettigrew Street. The building was demolished in the 1970s as part of urban renewal.

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In 1935 C.C Spaulding and Dr. James E. Shepard formed the Durham Committee on Negro Affairs, today the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People. Early campaigns focused on voter registration.

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In 1941 Piedmont Blue musician Blind Boy Fuller died at the age of 34. Fuller lived in Hayti and played in and around tobacco warehouses. He was a dominant figure in the heyday of the Bull City’s blues scene from 1920s – 1940s.

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In 1943 Charles DeWitt Watts was the first surgeon of African-American ancestry in North Carolina. Earning his degree from Howard University in 1943, he later moved to Durham in 1949 and established a clinic to provide access to medical services for the poor.

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E B O N Y M A G A Z I N E A R T I C L E " W A L L S T R E E T O F N E G R O A M E R I C A "

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In 1949 Ebony magazine published Alex M. Rivera, Jr.’s article about Durham’s African American community titled “Wall Street of Negro America”. The article probably inspired the term “Black Wall Street,” a nickname used to describe the African American financial and business district on Parrish Street.

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M C K I S S I C K

In 1951 Floyd McKissick was the in the first group of black students to be admitted at University of North Carolina School of Law. Previously rejected from the university because of his race, the NAACP accepted his case and filed a lawsuit against UNC School of Law. Thurgood Marshall led the NCAACP defense and in a 1951 ruling the United States Court of Appeals allowed McKissick and three other students admission to UNC/s school of Law.