Roots and Soul: Walking with Pauli Murray

906 Carroll Street,Durham NC 27701

12 March, 2022

Description

A 90-minute traveling performance through the West End neighborhood, inspired by local history and the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray's ancestors. Witness the Fitzgerald Family's determination for emancipation as remembered through the memories and writing of the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray. Together, we will unpack personal memories and embody collective responsibility with one another. Bring your curiosities; move and create with us! This tour is a collaboration between Whistle Stop Tours and the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice. Frequently Asked Questions How much are tickets? General Admission: $25 Youth (under 10): Free Legacy Residents of the West End Neighborhood: $15 If you are an advocate or organizer working towards neighborhood preservation, social justice, and equity, and you are interested in subsidized tickets, please contact Aya Shabu at [email protected]. Why does Whistle Stop Tours charge for their tours? Ticket sales support our nonprofit partner the Pauli Murray Center, pay local Black artists, and make subsidized tickets available for people who hold historically marginalized identities. What are my transportation/parking options for getting to and from the event? The West End Neighborhood is accessible by walking, biking, bus, or driving west from downtown Durham. There is on-street parking on Carroll Street. What time should I arrive? Please arrive 10 minutes prior to the start time to check in. The Pauli Murray Center's lawn exhibit offers information on Pauli Murray's activism, family, and the house. The tour will disembark at 10 AM sharp. What should I wear/bring to the event? Wear comfortable footwear and clothing appropriate for variable temperatures. Bring a water bottle, an umbrella for rain or sun, bug spray, and a camera/cell phone for pictures. Video is not allowed. What if it rains? Tours will continue in light rain; however, under the threat of flooding, freezing rain, snow, or thunderstorms tours will be rescheduled for another Saturday. How can I contact the organizer with any questions? Email Aya at: [email protected] What's the refund policy? We do not refund tickets. If the buyer is unable to attend the tour they are registered for, tickets may be used towards a future tour. The buyer must contact the organizer by email 24 hours prior to the start of the tour to make arrangements. Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event? You do not need to bring your printed ticket unless you experienced or suspect a malfunction when ordering. Your name will be on the registration list. Please check in once your entire party has arrived. Is my registration fee or ticket transferrable? Yes. Whistle Stop Tours: where African American neighborhoods take center stage Whistle Stop Tours – a walking tour company – strives to be a contributing voice in shaping the public memory of North Carolina's slave past and African American achievement. Performers and activists, scholars and public historians, natives and long-time residents have all come together to perserve African American neighborhoods by sharing their stories. With homes being renovated or simply torn down, the public history of African Americans is incomplete. It is important that the band of Black men and women coming out of slavery — the forefathers and foremothers of Durham's Hayti and Black Wall Street — be celebrated, elevated, and emulated.   Artist Statement  ...As the performer of these stories, I offer my art as public ritual — an offering to the ancestors on the sacred streets once revered as the “Capital of the Black Middle Class.” The voices I unearth, the history I inhabit, and the stories I embody are my libation — a pouring out of names, an invocation of the men and women who gave life to African American neighborhoods.   Biography Aya Shabu — Founder of Whistle Stop Tours — is a professional dancer, theater choreographer, and educator living in Durham, North Carolina. An Emerging Artist Grant recipient, Aya has choreographed for some of the Triangle's best theatrical productions, most notably The Parchman Hour, I Love My Hair and The Brothers Size. An alum of the nationally and internationally recognized African American Dance Ensemble, Aya is one of Chuck Davis' dancing daughters. Aya is passionate about preserving African diaspora cultural traditions and is currently a dancer and drummer with The Magic of African Rhythm. Aya was a 2017 artist-in-residence at the Power Plant Gallery on the American Tobacco Campus working on an evening-length piece about the women in her family, generational wealth, and the inheritance of colorism.