Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams delivered his second State of the City address Tuesday evening, celebrating a number of local initiatives from the past year that he believes have set the city on a path toward a bright future.
Williams spoke to a packed crowd of community members at the Carolina Theatre, where he described actions city officials have taken to address his primary goals of investing in community safety, capitalizing on educational resources, improving housing affordability and promoting economic development.
“I would like to humbly remind everyone … of our shared commitment here,” Williams said. “Our success as residents, as neighbors [and] as public servants will be judged by our ability to serve those most in need in our community, right here in Durham.”
Williams first touched on health and public safety, shouting out the two-year-old Holistic Empathetic Assistive Response Team in particular for its success. He noted that the crisis response program, which serves as an alternative to law enforcement for mental health-related calls, had served 25,000 people as of December.
“Cities across the country are calling right here to Durham and our local leaders as they develop their own empathetic response programs,” Williams said.
Combating crime and supporting local youth development have been pillars of Williams’ work since his 2023 mayoral campaign. He asserted on Tuesday that “Durham doesn’t need another 30-page study to tell us what we already know” but instead must see “action” and “results.”
In that spirit, Williams noted that the city partnered over the summer with United Way of the Greater Triangle and the Triangle Community Foundation to launch the Bull City Future Fund, which is halfway to its goal to raise $1 million to “support and expand the footprint of youth-serving organizations in Durham.”
He also said the city has begun investing $10 million in partnerships with local and state-level groups to “revitalize the Fayetteville [Street] corridor” of Durham’s historically Black neighborhood of Hayti, which he previously said had been “neglected for a very long time.”
Williams, who worked as a teacher and administrator in the Durham Public Schools system, noted that investing in education is a significant goal of his time in office.
“Partnerships [and] collaboration have been the key ingredients to our success in developing a pipeline for our young scholars to dream, develop and achieve in Durham,” he said.
The mayor listed a number of initiatives established in partnership with DPS, Duke, North Carolina Central University and Durham Technical Community College to create new and innovative opportunities for local students. He cited examples including the Durham Early College of Health Sciences, to open in fall 2025, and a collaboration between NCCU and Google to create the nation’s first AI institute at a Historically Black College or University.
Durham has also faced a homelessness crisis in recent years, with 415 local unhoused people in 2024, per a report from the city’s Community Development Department. Williams shared Tuesday that through Forever Home, Durham’s efforts to build new rental units and renovate existing spaces, “over 1,000 unhoused community members have been placed into permanent housing.”
Williams also referenced his support for Durham Next, a recently launched nonprofit that seeks to “actively pursu[e] transformative projects, programs and other community-based opportunities” to complement the city’s growth.
“We can’t be afraid to dream big. We can’t be afraid to do big things,” he said. “It’s time for Durham’s next renaissance.”
Williams summarized Durham’s “cultural identity” in one word: “resilience.”
“Resilience is baked into the very fabric of this city,” he said, adding later that Durhamites’ resilience is “a leading factor in why we’ve been named one of the most dynamic places to live in this country.”
Williams thanked the public officials in attendance for their “fearless public service when our community — and our country — needs it most.”
“Durham is dope,” he said, a reference to his slogan at last year’s State of the City. “And our shared love for this city is why.”
At the outset of the ceremony, which took place during Black History Month, Williams proclaimed the day “Chester Jenkins Day” in honor of Durham’s first Black mayor and his “lifelong effort to impact civic and social life.” Jenkins held the role from 1989 to 1991 after serving on the city council for eight years. He died in 2009, and his wife received a bouquet of flowers from Williams onstage at the Tuesday event.
The event also featured performances from local rappers known collectively as The Southern Brothas, as well as from Hezter Boi, who is Rivals Barbershop owner Khedron Mims. They delivered renditions of their songs “Durham is Dope” and “Bull City Anthem,” respectively.
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Zoe Kolenovsky is a Trinity junior and news editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.