In 2026, Hayti will reemerge as a gathering place where art, scholarship, and community intertwine. From the syncopation of jazz to the urgency of civic dialogue, our inaugural season embodies the spirit of Durham’s Black cultural renaissance—with programs crafted not only to entertain but also to inspire connection, deepen understanding, and honor the creative lineage that has always defined Hayti.
Welcome home The Hayti Heritage Center has always signified homecoming. So it’s only fitting that at the cultural, social, and historical inflection point that 2026 presents, we invite Durham to return home.
This year,the Hayti Heritage Film Festivalhas been designed with comfort in mind, and Black films will serve as the vessel through which we can return to what we know and deserve to feel:Closeness. Cultural reverence. Care.
Join us to laugh together, talk back to the screen together, lean in together, and leave transformed together.
Today, Hayti is poised to enter its next chapter—not merely as a venue or event space, but as an immovable cultural anchor of Black scholarship, art, and entrepreneurship. It is a living, member-supported institution that preserves Black cultural memory while fueling Black futures—redistributing power, resources, and opportunity through grantmaking, partnerships, and programs designed by and for the community it serves.
Hayti is in constant motion—restoring, reimagining, and reaching. Our news and updates spotlight the voices shaping today’s cultural landscape, from events to new partnerships and grants to artist residencies and community initiatives. Here, you’ll find stories of resilience and innovation that extend Hayti’s mission: preserving the past while fueling Black futures.
