Protect a 70-year Black family lake before it disappears.
Durham Lake has served eastern North Carolina for 70 years, since its founding in 1955. This year—2025, the lake's 70th anniversary—the historic building that anchored generations of baptisms, reunions, gospel events, and family gatherings was tragically destroyed by fire.
What began as a place of joy and community is now at the center of a painful struggle over land, power, and who gets to remain on property their family has cared for for decades.
The Durham Lake Defense Fund exists to fight back—in the courts, in the media, and in the community—so this land and legacy are not quietly erased.
Your support helps cover legal costs, documentation, community outreach, and media work to protect Durham Lake and other Black families facing similar threats.
What’s happening at Durham Lake?
• In its 70th anniversary year (2025), the historic building at Durham Lake was destroyed by fire.
• Long-term residents—on the land for more than two decades—report being evicted without proper notice.
• After the court date, gates and cameras were installed, and personal belongings went missing.
• New NC law H.B. 96 may give cover for faster removal of long-term tenants on family or inherited land.
This is about more than one property. It is about a pattern of Black land loss, tenant displacement, and systems that move in silence unless the public is watching.
Timeline: From Legacy to Crisis
This is a simplified public-facing timeline. A more detailed, legal-grade timeline will be hosted in the Legal Hub.
Durham Lake is established as a Black family-owned lake and gathering place in Dudley, NC. For decades, it hosts baptisms, reunions, weddings, and gospel events.
Members of the Durham family, including Larry Harvey and his immediate family, live on and maintain the property for more than 20 years without interruption.
Key family members and stewards of the property pass away, leaving the land more vulnerable to outside pressure and legal maneuvers.
In Durham Lake’s 70th anniversary year, the historic building on the property is destroyed by fire, erasing a central piece of the lake’s physical history.
Residents report eviction without proper notice; after court, gates and cameras are installed, and remaining belongings become inaccessible or go missing.
The Durham Lake Defense Fund is pursuing appeals, documenting events, preparing complaints to oversight bodies, and asking the public to stand with this family and community.
Why H.B. 96 Matters for Long-Term Tenants
In 2025, North Carolina’s H.B. 96 was enacted, changing rules around certain long-term occupancies and tenant situations. While lawmakers framed it as a way to “clarify” or “streamline” property rights, there is serious concern that it can be used to fast-track the removal of people who have lived on land for decades—especially on family or inherited property where formal leases were never required.
The Durham Lake situation highlights how laws like H.B. 96 may be felt on the ground: long-time residents suddenly facing court actions, evictions, and the loss of not just a house, but an entire ecosystem of history, memory, and community life.
The Defense Fund is working to raise awareness about how this law may be used, intentionally or unintentionally, to deepen patterns of Black land dispossession and tenant displacement.
Watch, Share, and Create Videos
Durham Lake Defense YouTube Channel
Video testimony, updates, and explainers are being published to document what has happened and what is at stake.
Open Durham Lake Defense on YouTube
Subscribe, like, and share to help push this story into the public eye and support the broader fight against Black land loss.
Create Your Own Durham Lake Videos (CapCut)
Supporters, community members, and media partners can use a ready-made template to quickly build short videos about Durham Lake using CapCut.
Download CapCut Video Creation Guide (PDF)
Quick visual reference:
Donate to the Durham Lake Defense Fund
Every contribution—large or small—helps cover legal fees, document preparation, public records requests, community organizing, and the media work required to tell this story truthfully.
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Support the public Durham Lake Defense GoFundMe campaign and help amplify the story with your network.
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Thank you for standing with Durham Lake and this family during an extremely difficult fight.
Contact & Press
For press, legal, or community inquiries, please use the contact information below. Interviews, documents, and site visits can be arranged where appropriate.
Primary Contact:
Larry Harvey
Durham Lake Defense Fund
DurhamLakeDefenseFund@gmail.com
(919) 288-8310
Media & Legal Resources
• Media Kit & Story Resources
• Legal Document Hub
• YouTube Channel: @DurhamLakeDefenseFund