Efforts to build homes and reinvest in historic Hayti District 'add to legacy'

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Denise Weaver Hester calls herself a child of Hayti. She was born in 1952 and remembers when the desolate building standing in the 1200 block of Fayetteville Street was Weavers Cleaners, her uncle's thriving small business.

"It's actually home. I played here as a child. Used to swing on the bars and stuff," she recalled. "It's a family business. Very nostalgic, but very significant in the community."

Her mother worked at North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company. Her father was a presser at Weavers. They were two of the many success stories that came out of the historically Black community.

There were plenty of businesses along the Fayetteville Street corridor.

"This was our main street. In it there were hundreds of businesses," said Hester. "Spending money with Black people increases the economic pie and enables folks to grow, and their businesses to grow."

Things changed in the 1950's. The development of the Durham Freeway and urban renewal ushered in an era that Hester says left the community in ruins.

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There was a promise of new housing and development that never happened. It's been a struggle ever since, but there are signs of hope along Umstead Street.

"There's an African Proverb that says if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, bring others with you," said Tiana Joyner, CEO of Durham's Habitat for Humanity.

She is behind an effort that would make first-time homeownership possible for ten families in Hayti.

"We want to contribute to adding back to that legacy and adding affordable housing opportunities," said Joyner.

The former Weavers Cleaners building has been vacant since 2001, but Hester pointed out homes along Fayetteville Street that have been renovated. She believes they are signs that the once-thriving Hayti District could return.

"Very hopeful. People are starting to reinvest in this community. Black people are starting to reinvest in our historic area and throughout the neighborhood," she said.