“The South is the origin point of Black culture in America. It is impossible to be a proud Black person in America and to be ashamed of the South, to be averse to the South, to consider southern Black culture inferior and wanting. Southern heritage is intertwined with the very concept of American blackness.”
CHARLES M. BLOW
LATEST REFLECTIONS
BLK South seeks the development, vibrancy, and well-being of underserved, historically Black neighborhoods in the South through community development, cultural reclamation, and spiritual formation.
In May 2025, we made our reverse migration from Phoenix, AZ to Durham, NC—returning not only to the South, but to a specific street where Kendall’s second-great-grandmother, Fannie Enoch McCoullough Latta, once lived before she was displaced by Urban Renewal (aka, Negro Removal). Today, we live on that same block in the Historic Hayti District. Our move was a deliberate act of remembrance and repair—rooting ourselves in a place where our family’s story was interrupted and now has a chance to be continued.
We chose Durham because it is a living archive of Black resilience, creativity, and community-led brilliance. It is also where we are invited into partnership and accountability. We serve as the Social Justice & Outreach Ministers at Monument of Faith Church, we are members of the Grant Street Community—where Erin serves as Secretary—as we steward a 15-year neighborhood plan focused on cultural preservation, community wellness, and youth development. As this work grows, we hope to cultivate future partnerships with local institutions such as North Carolina Central University (NCCU), especially around student presence, mentorship, and spiritual formation when the time is right.
BLK South was birthed from the call of reverse migration: to return to the Black South to mend narratives, reclaim cultural identity, and participate in the ongoing work of healing places harmed by displacement, divestment, and erasure.
Now rooted in Durham’s historic Hayti District, we are carrying out our mission through:
Healing Through Play and trauma-informed leadership development
Creative justice through art, memory, and storytelling
Spiritual formation shaped by the margins
Our focus is on unlearning and relearning Jesus through the lens of those on the margins, while honoring the rich tapestry of history, voices, and identities that continue to shape Black life in the South.
As we serve the city of Durham, our intention is not to overshadow, replace, or assimilate, but to walk in step with the community’s wisdom. We practice Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD)—recognizing the strengths, gifts, and resources that already exist here. Rather than centering deficiency, we center the inherent beauty and agency of the communities we join.
And this is only the beginning.
We are actively forming partnerships with local nonprofits, churches, and community leaders who share our commitment to healing, joy, justice, and belonging. In the coming year, we will launch three community-based initiatives designed to amplify Black stories, leadership, and sacred spaces in Durham.
Our hope is that what takes root here will ripple outward—inviting other cities to reimagine their future through the lens of justice, memory, and sacred place.
→ Learn more about our pilgrimage to Durham
→ Support our ongoing work through our Matching Campaign
Our Vision
BLK South Offerings
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Local
Our local offerings are rooted in a deep love for the South and a commitment to the places and people who shape it—especially here in Durham. Grounded in the city’s complex history and vibrant Black culture, these initiatives honor the resilience, creativity, and wisdom of African American communities while honestly engaging the systemic challenges that continue to shape daily life. Each local offering is an act of presence and care—like bringing a dish to a family cookout—designed to strengthen relationships, nurture belonging, and contribute to the shared wellbeing of the neighborhood. This is how we show up: attentive to place, accountable to community, and invested in cultivating a future where dignity, memory, and care are held together.
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Regional
Our regional offerings grow out of our local commitments, extending the wisdom, practices, and lessons learned in Durham to communities across the South. We hold in-person gatherings and virtual learning spaces that create room for shared reflection, relationship-building, and collective imagination across distance and place. Shaped by a belief that land holds memory, this work honors the distinct histories and cultures of each community we encounter, especially those rooted in historic Black neighborhoods. Looking ahead, we hope to convene retreats for community development practitioners serving across the Southern region—spaces for rest, learning, and mutual encouragement. Together, these offerings invite learning across difference, the sharing of resources, and the cultivation of relationships that strengthen the South as a whole—rooted in care, responsibility, and a deep love for the places we call home.
Buy Clothing
Buy Clothing
Introducing the BLK South Saint Collection – honoring the impactful legacy of Black ancestors who left an unforgettable mark on the South and our nation at large. Designed by Erin, our tees celebrate these figures, affectionately called "saints" for their profound impact on the Black community and culture. Click below to explore their stories and support our work in Durham, NC.
“Black culture is in the jazz and blues that were born in the South, and in the Black social welfare organizations and Black fellowship organizations that thrive there. ”
In the South, Black culture is primary: it is expressed in powerful Black churches and impressive Black colleges, which, according to a Newsweek report citing United Negro College Fund data, ‘produce 70 percent of all Black dentists and doctors, 50 percent of Black engineers and public school teachers, and 35 percent of Black lawyers.’”
Excerpt From: Charles M. Blow. “The Devil You Know.”
Smell is the quietest sense, yet it speaks the loudest. It enters without asking, slips past logic, and lands directly in memory. Long before we have words, we have scent. Before sight sharpens or language forms, smell is already working—wiring safety, love, fear, and belonging into our bodies.
Scientifically, scent travels straight to the limbic system, the part of the brain that holds emotion and memory. That’s why one breath can take you back decades. A kitchen you haven’t stood in since childhood. A person who no longer walks this earth. A version of yourself you forgot you were.