About this Research

As a part of Duke University History+ in the summer of 2025, four undergraduates worked with Durham People’s Alliance in commemoration of their golden anniversary. Our team created a timeline for the Durham People’s Alliance’s first 25 years drawing on archival materials within the North Carolina Collection of the Durham County Library Main Branch, internal sources, and interviews with participants in PA and Durham-wide events. We also completed individual research reports on campaigns and issues especially relevant to the legacy of the Alliance: Cost of Living, the Treyburn Watershed and the Environment, Crest Street and the East-West Expressway, and the Merger of Durham County and City School Systems. Our team would like to thank People’s Alliance coordinator Ann Rebeck, our graduate mentor Abram Smith, and the staff of the North Carolina Collection for their continued guidance and support, as well as the many people we had the honor of collaborating with over the course of the project.