 The two areas together served as the center of black life in Durham.Clashes between white and black communities throughout the south during this time period were practically routine occurrences, but this was generally not the case in Durham.In his visit to Durham, Booker T. Washington said “Of all the southern cities I have visited I found here the sanest attitude of the white people toward the blacks.”

The progress of the black business sphere was directly linked to the tolerance and helpfulness of certain elite whites in the area, namely Julian Carr, Washington Duke, and James Duke.