Our Promise Zone
Raleigh (Wake County) is the capital of North Carolina and part of the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill region, known as the Triangle Area. The geographical boundaries of Southeast Raleigh are vast and cover 18 square miles.
We focus on a six-census tract area that includes neighborhoods near downtown Raleigh. Referenced as our area of influence, the six census tracts include 507, 508, 509, 520.02, 521.01, and 521.02. The six-census tract area is bordered by two future bus rapid transit corridors: New Bern Avenue and Wilmington Street.
There are more than 14 named, historically Black residential neighborhoods in the six-census tract area alone, where the rate of Black homeownership is higher than in any other parts of the city and county.
Our area of impact is a tightly defined geographical area within the six census tracts. Within this area, we work closely with residents in defined neighborhoods along parts of Rock Quarry Road, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Poole Road, and Sunnybrook Road.
A Place of Celebrated History
Our impact zone is home to many celebrated sites and historic locations in Southeast Raleigh.
- Shaw University: founded in 1865 as the first historically black university in North Carolina.
- St. Ambrose Episcopal Church: founded post-Civil War era in 1868 as a ministry to recently emancipated persons of African ancestry.
- John Chavis Memorial Park: opened in 1937 as a segregated recreational space for Raleigh’s Black residents.
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Garden: opened in 1989, the first public park in the U.S. solely devoted to Dr. King and the civil rights movement.
The Need
In each of the following key indicators that gauge overall community health and well-being, households within the six census tracts are experiencing unfavorable outcomes at a rate higher than those living in other parts of the city, county, and country.
- Access to Healthy Food
- High School Completion
- Rent Burden
- Broadband Connection
- Housing Cost
- Unemployment
- Children in Poverty
- Housing with Potential Lead Risk
- Chronic Disease (Diabetes,
- High Blood Pressure)
- Life Expectancy
The inequities are attributable to the lack of sustained investment, resources, and opportunities that are essential to create an environment and place where individuals and businesses can grow, thrive, and prosper.