The Fourth Ward Oral History Project is invested in the community of Black residents who were displaced from the Fourth Ward neighborhood, including through the preservation of its history and through advocacy that ensures a future for their descendants. The urban renewal process is often said to have “destroyed” the neighborhood, leaving nothing of the Black communities it affected. While we believe it is essential to recognize the immeasurable harm that was caused by the City of Raleigh in its redevelopment efforts, we likewise affirm that Fourth Ward still matters. The neighborhood’s memory and history continue to be preserved by the people who called it their home.

For this reason, this project not only seeks to document the neighborhood’s history and tell residents’ stories, but we also are actively organizing to ensure that former residents of the Fourth Ward receive the recognition that they have been due since the establishment of the City of Raleigh.