St Josephs Historic Foundation

Hayti Heritage Center exists to gather, preserve, and propel Black culture , creating spaces where artists can create without apology, and serve as a bridge for communities to connect. Through intentional, multifaceted programming, Hayti serves as Durham's living cultural memory: rooted in legacy, animated by the present, and oriented toward a future that centers and supports its creators. A century ago, Hayti wasn't just a neighborhood; it was a working economy. A place where Black families turned faith, education, and entrepreneurship into institutions and wealth, passed down, hand to hand, across generations. That economy was disrupted when the Durham Freeway cut straight through the district's center. But the story didn't end there. Hayti began as an act of imagination. Freed people, moved by the revolution unfolding in Haiti, came to Durham and built something that hadn't existed here before: a community of their own. Many settled near Old Fayetteville Road, drawn by work in the city's tobacco factories. Rented land became owned land, one parcel at a time, until renting itself became a memory. That's how you build capital when no one hands it to you , on purpose.

• Ayana Parker
• Hanif Omar
• Jade Packer
• Maya Davis
• Phonte ColemanSpeaker/Performer
• Tarryn HenryExecutive Director
• Antonio McDanielFinance Director
• Kenia ThompsonMarketing Director
• Monèt MarshallArtistic Director
• Annette Taylor
• Dasan AhanuPoetry Program Manager
• Elisha HarrisAfrican Drumming Instructor
• Gerald Harris
• Jatovi McDuffieGaming
• Jennings Brody
• Jon CopesProgram Manager
• Josh Hawn
• Marc LeeSite Ambassador & Historian
• Monique FoggDevelopment Associate
• Rod Carter
• Dr. Phillip Graham
• Toni HallAfrican Dance Instructor

• African DanceHayti is a place to make, experience and learn just as much as it is a place to watch and experience.
• Sato's Dance AcademySato's Dance Academy is listed among the community classes and events at Hayti Heritage Center.
• Jambalaya Soul Slam
• Youth Game Night
• African Drumming ClassesHayti is a place to make, experience and learn just as much as it is a place to watch and experience.

• Work here?How St Josephs Historic Foundation’s team gets in
• AddNews from St Josephs Historic Foundation, first on your Home.Add
• Sign up to volunteerWelcome guests, support festivals, assist with archives and preservation.Sign up
• DonateOnce or monthly.Donate

Based in

NC

Founded

1977

EIN

56-1152267

Staff

24

Website

hayti.org