Highlights: Race & Identity

Labor, Dignity & Freedom

Durham’s Geer Cemetery, located two miles from East Campus, was founded in 1877 by African Americans who were born enslaved. In active use for 60 years, it is the resting place for many Black people who built Durham and its institutions, yet its history has been marred by neglect.

Grave marker on ground surrounded by leaves; text on marker is old and hard to read; it says Mrs. Annie Curtis died March 14, 1936, aged 76 years.
Courtesy marker for Mrs. Annie Curtis, featured in the digital project “African American Burial Networks and Practices” (Photo: Allen Dew, Cemetery Census, 2004)

A Story+ team explored the history of Geer Cemetery in partnership with Duke archivists, North Carolina Central University faculty, descendants of interred people and Friends of Geer Cemetery.

Team members examined Black labor and institutions in Durham, the history of African American burial practices in the region and the connections between the cemetery and Duke. They engaged in case studies of cemetery preservation projects to learn how policy and advocacy can impact historical preservation and combed through oral histories to examine how certain voices and experiences are silenced by what is chosen for historical preservation.

Screenshot from website showing four options of life histories to click and learn more about: Caroline Brown Barnes, Mary Sparkman, James W. Loy, Albert Armstrong.
Life histories of several people buried in the cemetery are highlighted on the digital project “Uncovering Invisible African American Labors in Durham.”

The team produced three digital projects on African American labor, burial practices and funeral homes. These will contribute to the education, storytelling and community-building efforts of Friends of Geer Cemetery.

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Play Video about Exterior view of entrance to Geer Cemetery.

Race & Society

In 2021, Bass Connections announced a new theme, Race & Society, to support interdisciplinary teams of faculty and students in their exploration of race-related issues. This effort furthers Duke’s commitments to racial equity and to transforming teaching and discovery for the 21st century.

Aerial view of hog farm in North Carolina.
One of the new teams will explore environmental justice in N.C. (Photo: Swine Facility Lagoons on Banks of Stream and Waste Transport Ditches to Stream – NC, by Waterkeeper Alliance Inc.)

Led by Tyson Brown, the Race & Society theme is supporting seven project teams in its inaugural year. This theme replaces the Education & Human Development theme, one of the program’s five original thematic areas, which supported 121 projects over nine years.

Exterior view of Durham County Courthouse.
Another team will examine racial inequality and reform through driver’s license access. (Photo: Durham County Justice Center, by James Willamor)

Race & Society teams for 2022-2023 include:

  • Celebrating Latinx Culture with a Spanish Reading Program
  • Collecting Oral Histories of Environmental Racism & Injustice
  • Coping Together: Reducing Mental Health Disparities for Latinx Families
  • Decoded Neurofeedback Toward Bias & Racism Mitigation
  • Examining Racial Inequality & Reform Through Driver’s License Access
  • Strengthening Partnerships Between Durham Public Schools & Local Universities
  • Understanding Perceptions of Race Among Computer Science Undergraduates

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