Old East Durham, NC · Resident-led since 2011
Building an Ecosystem of Freedom.
Communities In Partnership organizes Old East Durham to own the systems that shape our lives: food, housing, education, and power.
Who we are
We didn't wait to be invited to the table. We built our own.
In 2011, a shooting involving two children shook Old East Durham. The response from city officials and local agencies fell short. Frustrated by an inadequate, uninformed response, a group of neighbors decided that if institutions weren't going to protect this community, the community would have to organize to protect itself.
That gathering became Communities In Partnership: a vehicle to give voice to local residents and hold institutions accountable. Today that work has expanded to confront the economic disparities driven by gentrification and the rising cost of living across Durham.
We are not the biggest tree in the forest. We are part of the root system that keeps the forest alive.
Mission
Our mission is to organize and cultivate long-term residents, especially residents of color and low wealth, to work toward racial, economic, and social justice.
Vision
We envision East Durham and the surrounding area as a vibrant place where all residents have an exceptional quality of life, with the economic and political power to impact the decisions that affect their community.
Our approach
Community-rooted™ is a practice, not a slogan.
Our theory of change
If Black communities in Durham are whole, organized, and resourced, then we can lead our own liberation.
Where we're focused
Six questions, one ecosystem.
Every area of the work begins with a question. Not the question the system asks. The one that changes it.
Food Systems
“How do we feed people?”
Building a Black-owned food economy across Durham and the Triangle. Grown, cooked, sold, and profited from here.
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Community Health
“Who profits when we stay sick?”
Fitness classes, health and wellness sessions, cooling stations, and room to gather, all in the CIP Building on Driver Street.
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Come see us on Driver Street
Food, movement, and care on Driver Street.
A food maker and gathering space, one block apart. Walk in during the hours listed.
East Durham Market
306 S Driver St
CIP Building
103 S Driver St
Free weekly wellness and dance classes Xtreme Hip-Hop Step, Zen Shimmies, and Gentle Yoga at 103 S Driver St.
Health and wellness sessions Screenings, workshops, and healing space led by and for neighbors.
Community food co-op Thursdays at 5pm, in the CIP Building at 103 S Driver St.
Food makers and gathering space East Durham Market, 306 S Driver St. Thu to Fri 8am to 6pm, Sat to Sun 9am to 4pm.
Room to gather The CIP Building is open to neighbors and to Black-led organizations that need space.
Pull up a chair.
I live here
Shop the market, come to the Thursday co-op, join a fitness class, or sit in on a community meeting. No sign-up, no screening, no proof of anything.
Find what's openI want to invest
Fund food and land, housing, education, health, or the whole root system. Monthly gifts are what keep the doors open between grants.
Give nowI lead an organization
Bring your organization into the circle, or join the National Dreamtank™ network of community-rooted™ leaders.
Build with us