The Campaign for Decent Housing: Black and Latino Coalition Building in Durham, North Carolina

Abstract

This article examines the history of Black and Latino coalition building in Durham, North Carolina, particularly in the 1990s, as a response to systemic issues like housing negligence and racial inequality. It highlights how the creation of the Research Triangle Park (RTP) led to a significant influx of Latino immigrants seeking low-skilled labor jobs in construction and maintenance. These newcomers, often undocumented, faced exploitation by landlords and were restricted from living in white neighborhoods, leading them to settle in East Durham, a historically Black community. This paper details how Black residents, drawing on their long tradition of grassroots organizing against white supremacist policies, supported the new Latino community. Together, they formed cross-racial organizations and campaigns to improve their living conditions.