By Haley Allen
April 17, 2021
Duke Energy Foundation invests in the youth-serving nonprofits and educational organizations to help combat the effects of COVID-19 on students. While the wide-ranging effects of COVID-19 reverberate across all communities in our state, youth-serving nonprofits and educational organizations continue to orient their focus to countering these effects in communities hit hardest by the pandemic. This […]
Read moreBy Jock Lauterer
December 23, 2020
Story by Madison Reese DCI Intern The Durham VOICE Photos by Khadijah McFadden Teen Editor-in-Chief Durham Children’s Initiative (DCI) created “Holiday Zone” seven years ago to provide Christmas gifts for Durham families who need them. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, however, the traditional way Holiday Zone is executed had to change. The Holiday Zone […]
Read moreBy Palace Jones
October 30, 2020
The dire prospect of a shortage among Durham’s election poll workers, for fears of contracting and spreading Covid-19, could have resulted in even longer lines than we’re seeing in early voting. Fortunately, more than enough residents of Durham rose to perform a treasured civic duty by signing up to help voters enjoy a smooth and […]
Read moreBy A.J. O'Leary
April 2, 2020
He grew up around his family’s stone masonry business in Durham. Now, he wants to build on that foundation. LaMon Jones, 21, recently started a job with the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association, a nonprofit that works to protect water quality in Northeast Central Durham. Jones said he was able to get his job at ECWA […]
Read moreBy Molly Weisner
Publisher’s Note: Ordinarily, a news outlet doesn’t write stories about itself; this is the exception to the rule. When my 7th study/teaching trip to China got cancelled this spring due to the virus, I began wondering if there wasn’t something we could do anyway. And therein lies the tale. Over 7,000 miles separate the students […]
Read moreBy Sasha Schroeder
Samuel and Sons Barbershop on Angier Avenue has been a pillar of community in Northeast Central Durham for years. The coronavirus pandemic isn’t changing that. Samuel Jenkins, owner of Samuel and Sons, decided to transform the barbershop into a Zumba studio in order to keep people moving while many of Durham’s recreational facilities and gyms […]
Read moreBy Jock Lauterer
March 10, 2020
Celebrating 10 years of publishing a lab community newspaper for Northeast Central Durham, the Durham VOICE hit the streets Feb. 22 with the first print edition of the spring, affording student writer-photographers the legacy experience of personal, hands-on newspaper delivery. With over 40 drop spots and a circulation of 2,000, the Durham VOICE is printed […]
Read moreBy Brandon Callender
February 27, 2020
If you asked Austin Royale what he wanted to do with his life 10 years ago, he’d tell you he had no idea. But in 2020, he has a defined vision for a future where the children of Durham are free to explore all of their interests and have new ways to express themselves and […]
Read moreBy A.J. O'Leary
Most people come to Zweli’s for the only Zimbabwean food in town, but some come to talk politics. On Friday, Feb. 21, Zweli’s, located in Durham, hosted an Elizabeth Warren presidential campaign event as part of its Dinner Table Talks speaker series. Leonardo Williams, who runs the restaurant with his wife, Zweli, said events like […]
Read moreBy Anthony DeHart and Matthew Audilet
For more than 15 years, a group of dancers and drummers – some experienced, some not – have come together once a month at the Hayti Heritage Center on Old Fayetteville Street for its Hayti Rhythms dance class. The class offers community members the chance to practice movements from the African diaspora and listen to […]
Read moreBy Molly Weisner and Sasha Schroeder
Northeast Central Durham is no stranger to interactions with law enforcement — but a program that connects youth with police through athletics is attempting to reduce juvenile crime and foster positive relationships between the community and officers. Sgt. Jessica Butler, unit supervisor, said the Durham Police Athletic League not only runs athletic camps, but also […]
Read moreBy Julia Masters
Beneath the faded New Visions of Africa sign, inside the unassuming barred building, Karen Santoro-Abdullah put a hand to her heart and choked back tears. “I love helping these people because it makes me feel good to give them respect,” Santoro-Abdullah said. “Respect gives people hope; if people are treated with respect and a smile, it could encourage […]
Read moreBy Celia Farmer
The local nonprofit, Partners for Youth Opportunity (PYO), that serves Durham youth impacted by systemic injustice will hold its largest fundraiser of the year on March 5: the Rise and Shine Breakfast. PYO organizes the annual event to celebrate its accomplishments with attendees and to announce its plans to scale the nonprofit’s impact for the […]
Read moreBy Sophia Wilhelm and Gianna Tahan
ReCity unites various organizations to fight against social issues within the city ReCity Network, a coworking social impact space, unites 47 organizations and over 100 community leaders to serve Durham. The Durham-based network, located at 112 Broadway St., began in 2016 after a group of faith leaders found research indicating that shared space can increase […]
Read moreBy Khadijah McFadden
February 14, 2020
Coconut, mango-chile and lavender. You won’t typically find these cotton candy flavors anywhere but in Durham — and they are taking off because of Wonderpuff and its owner Jackie Morin. Wonderpuff is a black-owned eco-friendly business that is just one of the local dream businesses that the nonprofit Helius has helped make a reality through […]
Read moreBy Brandon Callender
February 13, 2020
Therese Daye knew that she had to keep her dream alive. For nearly a year she’d been planning to host a Daddy-Daughter Date Night for the fathers of Durham, but the heavy rainfall wouldn’t let up. A day before the Feb. 8 event was scheduled to occur, she learned that she’d no longer be able […]
Read moreBy Celia Farmer
Inside the room of Partners for Youth Opportunity (PYO), a nonprofit serving youth in Durham, there are picture frames that display the faces of past and current PYO students. Each face has a story to tell to anyone who walks through the door. Carlton Koonce, 37, of Durham, is the workforce development director at PYO. […]
Read moreBy Victoria Johnson
At first, Durham dog breeder Dwanson Clark just wanted his money back. Six years ago, his fiancee, Candace Taylor, asked him to buy a dog to keep her company while Clark was deployed with the U.S. Navy. In 2016, Clark decided to breed a litter of seven puppies, hoping to recoup the money he’d spent […]
Read moreBy Victor Hensley
Mainland Africa is approximately 4,030 miles away from Durham, but Duke University is working to narrow the gap by bringing African stories to the campus community through film. This month Duke is hosting its fifth-annual African Film Festival, featuring stories from around the continent. The four-week festival, organized by the university’s Africa Initiative, will hold […]
Read moreBy Gianna Tahan
The Hayti Heritage Center presents its fifth annual Black History: Artists’ Perspectives Exhibition to bring African American artists together and honor the black experience. Five years ago, curator Willie Bigelow, who is a Durham resident and artist, came to Hayti Heritage Center Executive Director Angela Lee to design an exhibition that pays tribute to Black […]
Read moreBy Korie Dean
Early voting for primary elections starts Thursday, Feb. 13, in Durham, and thanks to two students, Durham Technical Community College students will be able to engage in the political process in an exciting way. The school’s Center for College and Community Service hosted “Coffee, Cupcakes and Counts” Thursday from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at the school’s […]
Read moreBy Sasha Schroeder
January 30, 2020
With over 1.2 million books donated since its founding, Book Harvest continues its dream of promoting reading and learning Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream — and so does Book Harvest, a Durham nonprofit that hosted its ninth annual Dream Big Book Drive and Community Celebration last week. “The Book Harvest dream is a […]
Read moreBy Victoria Johnson
Jazz legend Max Roach’s drums beat again Saturday night when five local musicians interpreted his rhythms to about 50 listeners at the Hayti Heritage Center. The concert, called “Freedom Day: A Tribute to Max Roach,” celebrated one of the most important drummers in modern jazz history, the Hayti musicians said. A North Carolina native born […]
Read moreBy Anthony DeHart, Sophia Wilhelm, Landon Bost and Brandon Callender
Monday morning, Jan. 20, about 250 marchers gathered in front of the NC Mutual Life building for Durham’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Unity March and Rally. The group gathered for a short opening, then marched to First Presbyterian Church on East Main Street where speakers addressed the crowd from the pulpit. Every year, […]
Read moreBy Matthew Audilet
An exhibit created through a joint effort by First Presbyterian Church and Duke University Chapel entitled “Uneven Ground” opened on Jan. 3 to highlight the history of housing inequality and racial segregation in downtown Durham. Originally commissioned in 2019 for the 150th anniversary of Durham’s founding, the exhibit now serves as a tool for reflection, […]
Read moreBy Brooklyn Brown and Celia Farmer
On paper, her name is Sade Jones, but the people of Durham know her simply as Ms. Beauty. Jones received this title when she started working at Beauty World in Durham, a beauty supply store on 1418 Avondale Dr #2, in 2014. Jones, 33, is a sales associate and hair specialist at Beauty World. Most […]
Read moreBy Julia Masters
MLK Play Days, hosted by The W.G. Pearson Center and The Boys & Girls Club of Durham and Orange Counties, gave the displaced children from the McDougald Terrace community a place to play last Monday through Wednesday. Beginning Jan. 3, over 300 families from the McDougald Terrace community were evacuated indefinitely due to dangerous carbon […]
Read moreBy Gianna Tahan
As South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces (SEEDS) rings in the new year, Interim Executive Director Abby Goodman hopes to make their urban gardening programs more meaningful to all members of the Northeast Central Durham community. Founded in 1994, SEEDS is a two-acre urban garden and kitchen space located at 706 Gilbert St. The organization […]
Read moreBy Jazmine Bunch
Black Girl Ventures (BGV) has found a new home in North Carolina. Five local business women are coming together to establish a chapter of the Forbes-featured foundation in Durham. BGV provides a unique experience to combat the particular challenges that black and brown women face in starting and growing a business. The initiative was founded […]
Read moreBy James Jeffries
October 8, 2019
Angier Avenue in historic East Durham has seen its fair share of added concrete, construction, and changes to the neighborhood within recent years. This ever-changing landscape we call Durham is becoming a host to new faces, housing spaces, and local businesses at a dizzying pace. One of those newcomers, Sofia’s Pizza, opened its doors to […]
Read moreBy Tyler Williams
October 2, 2019
“We want you to feel like you are welcomed here, we want you to feel like family,”
Read moreBy Jack Frederick
April 10, 2019
Bill Riddick’s life has changed a lot in the last month. Before, the 81-year-old didn’t routinely have reporters sitting in his living room, nor did his neighbors come knocking on his door just to thank him for being “a good man.” But now, with the release of “The Best of Enemies” on April 5, moviegoers […]
Read moreBy Celia McRae and Natasha Townsend
Between 2010-2011, Crystal Dreisbach wrote 200 letters to businesses throughout the Triangle. Her mission toward a more sustainable Durham was just beginning. The restaurants Dreisbach wrote to used Styrofoam, and she wanted to talk to distributors about sustainable alternatives, she said. She was working in public health research at the time, and Styrofoam takeout containers […]
Read moreBy Johnny Sobczak
The sun shines down on the picturesque spring afternoon of April 6 at Durham’s Bull City Ciderworks, and Independent Animal Rescue (IAR) is gathering nine of its foster dogs for its latest adoption event. The outdoor space includes a deck and large grassy area. Dozens of Durham residents are spread out across picnic tables, donning […]
Read moreBy Samantha Perry and Sabrina Berndt
Although the 22nd annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival has come to an end, UNC-TV will continue highlighting the work of award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson throughout the month. On Tuesday, April 23, UNC-TV will premiere Nelson’s most recent documentary, “Boss: The Black Experience in Business.” The film touches on rarely discussed stories of black entrepreneurship […]
Read moreBy Diane Adame
March 27, 2019
As a 9-year-old, Kriddie Whitmore took a field trip to Ellerbe Creek that sparked her interest in preserving and removing invasive plants. She often relives this fond memory by preserving areas near her childhood home as a nature preserve steward with the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association (ECWA). “It’s a very volunteer-centered organization, and they always […]
Read moreBy Samantha Perry
When Grace Beeler began teaching English as a second language, she was shocked by the stories refugees had to share. “If everyday Americans could hear the stories that I hear at work they would have a lot more compassion for refugees,” Beeler said. “They would understand why they need to come here, why we should […]
Read moreBy Johnny Sobczak
It’s the crisp Saturday morning of March 23, and nonprofit groups are slowly setting up tables on the sidewalk outside of the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for the 24th annual Great Human Race, hosted by the Triangle Nonprofit & Volunteer Leadership Center (TNVLC). Many of the tables are covered in posters, pamphlets and brochures to […]
Read moreBy Natasha Townsend
Carmen Settles remembers the first time she learned that going to college after high school wasn’t for everyone. She could venture out on her own path and be successful. Although she graduated from North Carolina Central University with a marketing degree, Settles owes her success to Communities in Schools (CIS), a nonprofit that focuses on […]
Read moreBy Celia McRae
Erin Batten-Hicks finally found the community she had been missing when she transferred to Hillside High School and joined the school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA). “I never really had an opportunity to find more queer people and find that community while I was at my other school,” she said. “When I came […]
Read moreBy Courtney Staton
Earlier this month, as part of the NeXt Doc Fellows, a fellowship which promotes 20 to 24-year-olds identified as the next generation of documentary filmmakers, I attended the True/False Documentary Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri. I watched “The Commons,” a film about the protests surrounding the Silent Sam statue and the Pit. I watched […]
Read moreBy Hannah McClellan
February 28, 2019
On a cold and rainy February afternoon, 17-year-olds Samantha Vazquee and Demonte Bolden are not hiding inside – they’re hard at work repotting dozens of plants after a day at school. Vazquee and Bolden are two youth members of the DIG program, a youth-driven, urban farming and leadership development program started by South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable […]
Read moreBy Diane Adame and Veronica Correa
February 27, 2019
After nearly 20 years, the Latino Community Credit Union continues to do more than provide North Carolina’s Latino community with a safe place to store their earnings. A credit union founded in Durham in 2000, LCCU works to educate and empower all communities by offering a financial education program and savings, checking, loans and credit […]
Read moreBy Johnny Sobczak
When Jenne Mondry was interviewed for a position teaching English at Hillside High School last summer, it was proposed to her that she teach journalism and take over the school’s newspaper. For Mondry, it was daunting. “I let them know that I had not done that before, but I had done the yearbook at a […]
Read moreBy Jack Frederick
As the Saturday morning rain pooled in the parking lot, a dozen Durham Police Department squad cars sat parked along the sidewalk leading up to the Holt Athletic Association Gymnasium. To passersby, the outside view may have signaled something was wrong. But within the yellow walls of the gym, cheers and laughter bubbled over, disarming […]
Read moreBy Celia McRae
Informational booths from different Durham Public Schools departments lined the walls of the Hillside High School lobby last Saturday. Parents and students could ask questions about program offerings at these booths, as part of a fair called “Say Yes to DPS.” “We really wanted to be able to showcase them and to be able to put a […]
Read moreBy Natasha Townsend
The Hayti Heritage Center buzzed with nervous energy hours before the 4 p.m. showing of “Inside Studio Real: A choreopoetic sitcom” on Feb. 23. The play, written by director Dasan Ahanu, involves poetry, movement and emotion. Ahanu, 44, is from Raleigh and has been an artist since the ‘90s, he said. He has performed original […]
Read moreBy Hannah Towey and John Bauman
Filmmaker Dennis Leroy Kangalee had set out to create a masterpiece. Less than one year after his debut film, “As an Act of Protest” was released, Kangalee sent that masterpiece flying off the balcony of a hotel in Germany. Kangalee’s independent film is a 144-minute-long drama whose unedited, anti-Hollywood aesthetic and emotionally raw acting seek […]
Read moreBy Will Shropshire
After 47 years, “Swing School,” a community favorite production for many decades, returned to the stage at Hillside High School. The Hillside High School Drama Department – under the direction of Wendell Tabb – put on four performances of its new adaptation, called “Hallelujah! Swing School,” from Feb. 15-17. The production has long been a Hillside […]
Read moreBy Sabrina Berndt
Every third Saturday of the month, transgender and gender-nonconforming people in the Research Triangle gather at the LGBTQ Center of Durham – located at 114 Hunt Street – for its closet event, a chance for attendees to browse free clothing without fear of judgment, according to coordinators and attendees. The event began in August 2016 when the Center was […]
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