Preservation Durham/Pauli Murray Center: Queer History of Durham Fundraiser
Preservation Durham and the Pauli Murray Center are hosting a Queer History of Durham Tour fundraiser! Learn more about the numerous individuals, organizations, and activism that has shaped Durham into the LGBTQ+ safe space that it is today.
The tour will include a 1.5-hour bus tour, where attendees will learn more about the importance of built space for the protection, celebration, and community building within the LGBTQ+ community in Durham. The bus tour will include two outside excursions: to the Sarah P. Duke Gardens to visit the Stormie Daie mural and to the Pauli Murray Mural on 1101 W. Chapel Street.
We will then visit the Pauli Murray Center for an opportunity to visit the Fitzgerald House, where Pauli lived while in Durham. Attendees will be able to take a self-guided tour of the center and its exhibits. This will include a social component with light snacks and beverages.
Preservation Durham is also partnering with the Duke Human Rights Center to create a zine about the importance of preserving Queer spaces. Two incredible, local artists, Kelsey Graywill of Hyperlocal Durham and cartoonist Meg Lentz, are working on designing the zine, which will highlight the importance of preserving queer spaces. We are excited to offer these and some merchandise from the Pauli Murray Center to our visitors. We will also be putting a digital copy of the zine on Open Durham.
The event will take place on November 8th, 2025 from 2:30-5:00 pm. Attendees will check-in at the Pauli Murray Center, parking in public street parking on Carroll Street. Check-in will start at 2 pm, and the bus tour will begin at 2:30.
In the face of federal censorship, it is as important as ever to bring awareness to the importance of historic LGBTQ+ sites. The Pauli Murray Center lost a $330,800 grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services due to federal crackdowns on funding to many government organizations. The Pauli Murray Center has also faced censorship, as any reference to Murray’s LGBTQ+ identities has been erased from the National Park Service’s national landmark posting on the Pauli Murray Center.
Preservation Durham is similarly facing hardships due to federal funding limitations, as the National Historic Preservation Fund is currently being considered for complete elimination for FY2026. This keeps necessary funding for our State Historic Preservation Offices, limiting the resources Preservation Durham can call upon from them, and increasing expectations for our organization in the place of the work our SHPO does.
We are so grateful to be teaming up with the Pauli Murray Center to fundraise for both of our organizations through this programming. Tickets are $75/person with an option for additional donations.
While we understand this is a lofty price, we want to assure that this tour information will be made available for cheaper or free in other capacities. The tour will be made available for free on Open Durham, so anyone who wants to do the tour themselves can! We are also working to find local organizations that are interested in conducting the tour themselves for a free or cheap rate (if you are a part of an interested organization, reach out!). It will also remain available as a private tour option for Preservation Durham as a condensed walking tour.
We are so excited about this programming and look forward to sharing more about the Queer History of Durham and the necessity to protect these spaces!
