Skip to main content

Free At Duke This Week: Jazz, A Garden Walk And Local History

On tap this week: a documentary about the historic Whitted building in Durham

This week's picks from the Working@Duke staff for five free things to do at Duke include celebrating the life of Mary Lou Williams with jazz and treats and delving into the history of the Whitted building in Durham, N.C., which served as Durham's first African-American high school.

3 to 5 p.m., Tuesday, May 1

Read More

The Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture celebrates its namesake with treats and jazz music during Mary Lou Day in the West Union Building.

9 to 11 a.m., Thursday, May 3

Join Gardens' curator Mike Owens and horticulturist Jan Watson for a "Historic Gardens Color Walk" in the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. Participants will learn more about what is currently in bloom and the most successful seasonal plant combinations. Call (919) 668-1707 to register.

7 p.m., Thursday, May 3

The documentary film, "Upbuilding Whitted," explores the history and significance of the Whitted building in Durham, N.C. The structure was built in 1922 as Hillside Park High, Durham's first African-American high school. In 1949, it became the J.A. Whitted Junior High School. The film will be screened at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke.

9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, May 5

Safely dispose of your personal paper and electronic items at the Duke Credit Union's Duke Community Shred Event. There is a limit of four boxes of paper per person. Drop off items at 2200 West Main St. in the drive-up area of the Duke Credit Union.

All Week

The Sanford School of Public Policy and Center for Documentary Studies at Duke co-sponsor "Fragments from Another Life." This series of black and white portraits by Rhonda Klevansky, combined with notes, sketches and poems, tells the stories of refugee immigrants from conflict-ridden countries who arrived in the United Kingdom seeking political asylum, personal safety or escape from war. Open to the public until August 6 in the first floor of Rubenstein Hall.