Hayti, Durham, North Carolina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hayti
Durham neighborhood
Fayetteville St., Hayti, circa 1940. Courtesy of Durham County Library, NC Collection
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
City	Durham
Named for	Haiti
Time zone	EST

Hayti (pronounced "HAY-tie"), also known as Hayti District, is a historic African-American community. It is now part of the city of Durham, North Carolina. Hayti was started by freedmen (formerly enslaved people) right after the American Civil War. These people came to Durham to work in tobacco factories and other jobs.

By the early 1900s, African Americans in Hayti owned and ran over 200 businesses. These businesses were mainly located along Fayetteville, Pettigrew, and Pine Streets. Even during a time of racial segregation (when laws kept Black and white people separate), Hayti grew and became a strong, self-sufficient community. It had its own businesses, a library, a hotel, a theater, and a hospital.

Hayti faced challenges later in the 20th century. Many people moved to newer homes outside the area. In 1958, a big city project called "urban renewal" tore down homes and businesses in 200 acres of the community. This project also built a freeway that split Hayti in half.

St. Joseph's African Methodist Episcopal Church (built in 1891) is a very important building in Hayti. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The church's congregation started in 1868. Since 1975, the church has been used as a community and cultural center. Many famous African Americans have lived in Hayti.

Hayti's Beginnings and Growth

During the 1880s, Hayti's population grew, and many businesses run by Black people were started. The community was named after Haiti, which was the first independent Black country in the Western Hemisphere.

A Self-Sufficient Community

Hayti District soon had many different businesses, schools, a library, a theater, a hotel, and the Lincoln Hospital (built in 1900). This made Hayti very self-sufficient. People from all walks of life lived in Hayti. The Black-owned businesses provided jobs for many residents. This community thrived from the 1880s through the 1940s.

Challenges and Changes

In the 1950s, a city project called urban renewal caused big changes. This project tore down buildings on over 200 acres in the heart of Hayti's business area. The goal was to remove older housing and make traffic flow better. However, this project did not consider how it would affect the people living there. Many residents and businesses were forced to move and could not return.

The project also included building North Carolina Highway 147, a freeway that cut through the Hayti district. At that time, most Black people could not vote or influence political decisions. This meant they had no say in where the freeway was built.

Important Leaders and Businesses

Several important leaders helped build Hayti. These included James E. Shepard, Aaron McDuffie Moore, John Merrick, and Charles Clinton Spaulding. Shepard, Moore, and Merrick started the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company in 1898. This company became the largest and wealthiest African-American business in the United States at that time. It also had a company that developed land, which helped build many parts of Hayti.

J. C. Scarborough, a successful African-American funeral home owner, and his wife Daisy built the Scarborough House at 1406 Fayetteville St.

Churches and Community Life

Many churches were built in Hayti. One important church was St. Joseph's African Methodist Episcopal Church (1891). This was one of many AME churches started in the South after the Civil War. The AME Church was the first independent Black Christian group in the United States. It was founded in Philadelphia by free Black people in the early 1800s. St. Joseph's Church is now a National Register of Historic Places site. Since 1975, it has been used as a community and cultural center.

The first AME church services in Hayti were held in 1868 by Edian Markham. He was a former slave and an AME missionary. As more people joined, they built a log church called Union Bethel AME Church. Later, a wooden church replaced that. By 1891, the community raised money to build the grand brick church they named St. Joseph.

Another major Black church was White Rock Baptist, built in 1896. After the Civil War, Black people started their own Baptist churches, separate from white churches. They soon created their own state and national groups.

In the early 1920s and 1930s, a business area on Pettigrew Street was known as "Lil" Mexico. During Hayti's best years, over 200 African-American businesses were located on Fayetteville, Pettigrew, and Pine Streets.

Hayti's National Firsts

This small Black community achieved some important "firsts" for the nation:

• It was the first all-African-American community to be completely self-sufficient. By the early 1900s, it had its own schools, library, churches, barbershops, Lincoln Hospital (1900), movie theater, recreation center, and hotels.
• North Carolina Central University, a historically black college, was started in 1910 by James E. Shepard. It began as a private religious school. By 1925, it became the first African-American liberal arts college in the United States to be funded by the state government.
• The Royal Ice Cream Sit-in happened on June 23, 1957. This was one of the first protests of its kind. Reverend Douglas Elaine Moore, a minister from Hayti, led six other Black people into the Royal Ice Cream Parlor. The parlor had separate seating for Black and white customers due to state laws. The group sat in the "white" section. When they were arrested, Reverend Moore asked William A. “Billy” Marsh Jr., a young Durham lawyer, to defend them. The case eventually went to the U.S. Supreme Court. This nonviolent protest became a key method in the growing civil rights movement.

In the early 1900s, two important African-American leaders, W. E. B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington, visited Hayti. They said that Hayti was a great example for all African-American communities in the United States.

Notable People from Hayti

Many talented people have come from Hayti:

• Ernie Barnes, an NFL star and famous artist.
• Reverend Shirley Caesar, a minister and gospel musician.
• Blind Boy Fuller (born Fulton Allen), a blues guitarist and singer.
• Biff Henderson, a staff member of Late Show with David Letterman.
• John P. Kee, a gospel musician.
• Lamont Lilly, an activist for the Movement for Black Lives, a journalist, and a vice presidential candidate in 2016.
• John Lucas II, an NBA player and professional coach.
• Pigmeat Markham, known in the 1950s–1960s as the National Funnyman. His family was so well-known that their street was named Markham Street.
• Tracy McGrady, an NBA player who finished high school in the Hayti District.
• Clyde McPhatter, a musician from the 1950s–1960s, a member of the Drifters, and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• Rodney Rogers, an NBA player.
• André Leon Talley, a fashion consultant.
• Grady Tate, a jazz drummer.
• Tommy Wilson, an NFL player for the Los Angeles Rams, Cleveland Browns, and Minnesota Vikings.