Contexts and Connections is a signature program of Duke Service-Learning, engaging Duke faculty and staff interested in deepening their knowledge of and connections to the Durham community, as well as exploring connections with teaching, research, and service. Contexts and Connects is about getting faculty and staff off campus, introducing folks to Durham’s rich history, and facilitating introductions to community resources for service-learning and community-engaged (SLCE) courses.
This Spring 2023 we are offering three events over the course of the semester to highlight contexts and create connections for SLCE faculty and staff. As we aspire to get Beyond the Discourse, Contexts and Connections invites us to leave our university echo chamber centered on words and learn from communities about possibilities for action.
Please join us for one or more of these events:
Curating Durham's History
We’ll start our afternoon at the Museum of Durham History to learn about their current exhibits and ways we can partner with the Museum. We’ll then walk over to the Durham Arts Council to view the Civil Rights Mural and engage with colleagues about Durham’s mural tour and the resources of the Council.
Resources to Explore
The Museum of Durham History
The Civil Rights Mural
Discover Durham Mural Finder
Mural documentary depicts a rich Durham Civil Rights history
Durham Civil Rights History Mural Project Pitch Video
Living Colors - the Durham Civil Rights History Mural Project (Rodrigo Dorfman)
The Durham Green Flea Market
Have you ever visited the Durham Green Flea Market? Operating for over 10 years, it draws a diverse segment of our community. Join Prof. Bethzaida Fernández on March 25, 11am-1pm for a stroll through the market and conversation about our Latinx community in Durham as we meet some Latinx vendors and sample foods. A second conversation will take place on campus March 28, 1:45-2:45pm with the objective to learn more about our local Latinx communities. You may sign up for one or both conversations (it is not required to participate in both).
Resources to Explore
The Green Market
The Durham Green Market Website
Durham Green Flea Market: It’s all about what you can give
For More than a Decade, the Durham Green Flea Market Has Been a Taste of Home for the Triangle’s Hispanic Community. Amid Closure Rumors, Vendors Hope to See It Carry On.
Biography: Robert T. Perry
Biography: Trans Perry
The Latinx Community
Timeline for Durham Food History
Black Wall Street
Black Wall Street: The Price of Progress features performance-based walking tour company Whistle Stop Tours. This 75-minute walking tour is “ground zero for understanding the intersection of race, money, and power in Black Durham” includes stops at the former site of NC Mutual and John Merrick’s barbershop and features stories of Durham leaders and visitors.
Resources to Explore
A special space carved out here in Durham’: The rise, fall and impact of Black Wall Street
The Past, Present And Future Of Durham’s Black Wall Street
(Virtual) A Tour of Historic Black Durham, by Kyrie Mason and Geoff Gadsden
Civil Rights Collection
Bull City 150
Hayti Heritage Center