Commemorating a historic Black neighborhood's past and advocating for its future

The history of one of the Triad’s last, intact, historically Black neighborhoods is being commemorated with a new exhibit: Connecting our Past: The History and Culture of Boston-Thurmond. It was curated by the neighborhood’s archive team. The community thrived for generations before invasive urban renewal projects like the Cherry/Marshall Expressway — now University Parkway — left it scarred.

This pop-up exhibit hosted by the MUSE history museum in downtown Winston-Salem is a collaboration between a team of Boston-Thurmond residents, filmmakers and local scholars. Together they’ve been recording oral histories and collecting archival materials for more than seven years. The result: a virtual exhibition and “living” neighborhood archive.

As you enter the large former court room, digital newspaper clippings from many decades ago and photos of local shop owners and their Black-owned businesses are projected onto screens. Large TV monitors display documentary film footage of current and former residents sharing stories of their time growing up in this close-knit neighborhood.

Project assistant Carolina Gonzalez Gutierrez says in researching Boston-Thurmond, she discovered the important role that corner stores played in the lives of the people who lived there.

"Basically, most of the corner stores that I included in this part of the exhibit sold penny candy and penny cookies," says Gutierrez. "And particularly because these stories were active during urban renewal, they kind of highlight a different perspective of the community that is very joyful, and very different from the main narrative that I think that like the city and a lot of history has highlighted."

Among the video testimonials of the children — now in their 70s and 80s — who bought those after-school treats is that of neighborhood archive team member David West. His family has lived here for more than a century.

"I personally would like people to know the history of Boston, and the Boston-Thurmond area," he says. "Because, given that this community started in 1892, better let the people know about the things that developed over the years. So, what this exhibit is giving each and every one that comes in is the information."

In addition to raising awareness, West is actively organizing and advocating for his neighborhood by petitioning elected officials for historical markers, recreational facilities, affordable workforce housing, and more.  

In the 1950s and 60s, this community, like dozens of other self-sufficient Black neighborhoods in America, was disrupted by the negative consequences of urban renewal efforts. University Parkway construction cut Boston-Thurmond in half, razing and relocating single-family homes in its wake.

Curator Elise Barrella is an independent urban planning and transportation systems researcher. She says this exhibit is more than just a reflection on the past. It’s about opening up a dialogue about the future of this neighborhood and others like it in Winston-Salem.

"We’re all aware there are a lot of changes happening in the city," she says. "And Boston-Thurmond is in a strategic location from many peoples’ perspectives, which also means it can be vulnerable to outside pressures like it has been over time."

The next viewing hours for the Boston Thurmond pop-up exhibit:
Dec. 7, 12-2 p.m.

Dec. 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Dec. 11, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Dec. 13, 5-7 p.m.