American Communities: An Oral History Approach
African American Experiences in Durham, North Carolina

As a part of Duke University's American Communities seminar, eight undergraduate students interviewed elders in Durham's African American Community. The students examined the history of the United States and the American South through the voices and perspectives of people who have lived, experienced, and "made" history firsthand. The students worked with staff and faculty of Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies and the Center for the Study of Black History, housed at the Hayti Heritage Center, a major repository of black history in Durham, pictured above.

This special web site presents profiles of the students' interviewees and sections of the interviews. The students selected excerpts that best exemplify the themes and trends they found in the Durham communities they studied. Also included is a concept index which groups the interview excerpts by various themes encountered by the students over the course of the semester.

Mr. R. Kelly Bryant, Jr. Reverend Philip Cousins, Jr.
Mr. Julius Davis Mrs. Amelia Thorpe
Mrs. Mary Smith Nathaniel White
Lenzie Barnes Ruth Boyd

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