Durham, North Carolina

Social and Political climate

Durham has a rich and vibrant art and cultural community. Events include jazz festivals, blues festivals, symphony concerts, art exhibitions, and a multitude of cultural expositions. A centerpiece of Durham's culture is its Carolina Theater which shows both live performances as well as films, primarily independent releases. Durham features excellent culinary offerings, particularly for a city its size, with a wide selection of diverse and renowned establishments. These establishments are primarily concentrated in the Ninth Street, Brightleaf, and University Drive areas. There is a resurgence of restaurants in and around the downtown area, including several new restaurants in the American Tobacco District.

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Generally Durham is progressive both culturally and politically. It hosts a yearly Gay and Lesbian Film festival which draws people from across the United States as well as an annual Gay Pride Parade. Durham is the home of the Independent Weekly a progressive weekly news paper. Politically the area is predominantly Democratic.

Related Topics:
Gay Pride Parade - Independent Weekly

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Durham does struggle with racial issues especially in politics. While the City of Durham has a large African American population, the population of the surrounding suburbs is primarily of European decent. Often, political leaders have played off of long festering racial and socioeconomic issues and have caused flare ups. Recently a proposal to change the way the Durham County School Board is elected, from a district-based system to at-large elections, resulted in an adversarial relationship between board members and primarily black parents as the proposal was seen as potentially reducing African American representation. During this time three crosses were burnt in the area, leading some to question if they were related. However, citizens turned out in the hundreds for candlelight vigils after the cross burnings. Similarly when the Reverend Fred Phelps's group came to protest the Durham School of the Arts's presentation of The Laramie Project, counter-protesters supporting the high school students were said to outnumber them 10-1.

Related Topics:
At-large elections - Fred Phelps - Durham School of the Arts - The Laramie Project - High school

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