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Durham, N.C. - Another commemorative piece honoring Durham's rich African American history will be unveiled next week and the entire community is invited to participate.

The Parrish Street Advocacy Group and the City of Durham will unveil the first three of six historical markers commemorating the rich history of Parrish Street on Wednesday, October 15, 2008, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event will take place in downtown Durham on West Parrish Street between Corcoran and Mangum Streets.

The unveiling will feature stories and history by local leaders and those with strong historical ties to Parrish Street. This event is free and open to the public and refreshments will be provided.

According to Parrish Street Project Coordinator Reginald Jones with the City's Office of Economic and Workforce Development, these permanent sculptures will honor a distinguished legacy of economic achievement and opportunity that was only available to African Americans living in Durham in the late 1800s and early 1900s. "Success stories from the Black Wall Street era continue to this day, with accounts of prosperity that was unheard of for African Americans not living in Durham at that time. In fact, several original African-American owned institutions have been in business for over 100 years in this community and still continue to flourish to this day."

Working through Liberty Arts, Inc., artists Michael Waller, Leah Foushee, and Alvin Frega, along with interns from North Carolina Central University, have been working on a series of six pedestrian-scale, free-standing markers that will be sculptural in form and include text and symbols to educate passer-bys about the history of Black Wall Street.

The sculptures are comprised of significant materials from Durham's tobacco, retail, manufacturing, and transportation industries, as well as materials such as bronze, concrete, limestone, aluminum, glass, and steel. Through materials and design, the artists are commemorating the following, historically significant themes: Tobacco and E. J. Parrish (1865-1890), Visionary Leadership in the New South (1890 - 1915), and A Black Capital for the World to See (1915-1945) .

The first three markers will be placed on West Parrish Street next week. The remaining three markers will be placed on East Parrish Street in the spring of 2009.

The City's Office of Economic and Workforce Development has received approximately $350,000 from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, with assistance from U.S. Representative David E. Price, to support the Parrish Street Revitalization and Historic Commemoration Project.

More information about this project and Black Wall Street's history, including high-resolution digital photographs of portions of the sculptures to be unveiled, can be found at www.parrishstreet.org. Interested residents may also contact Reginald Jones at (919) 560-4965, extension 207 or by e-mail at Reginald.Jones@durhamnc.gov for more information.

About the Parrish Street Revitalization and Historic Commemoration Project

The Parrish Street Revitalization and Historic Commemoration Project, under the direction of the Durham City Council, is working to commemorate the nationally significant history of Parrish Street, also known as "Black Wall Street," and to spur economic revitalization for this downtown Durham corridor. The City and its partners are engaged in a mission to attract new investment and pursue national heritage area status from the United States Congress.