Anti-Displacement Advocacy Workshop: Durham

How do we ensure that redevelopment strengthens communities rather than displacing the people who built them?

Join the ADOS Advocacy Foundation North Carolina Chapter for an interactive Anti-Displacement Advocacy Workshop that equips community members with practical tools to understand displacement, tell their stories, engage local government, and join an organized campaign for community-centered development. The Greensboro workshop is the first full in-person training in the Anti-Displacement Advocacy Workshop Series and will focus on community education, storytelling, civic engagement, and campaign development.

About the Workshop

Displacement is about more than housing. It is connected to history, property ownership, wealth, public policy, neighborhood investment, and who benefits when communities undergo redevelopment. Through presentations and hands-on activities, participants will explore these connections while developing practical skills they can use to advocate for their communities.

The workshop will begin by establishing a foundation for understanding ADOS, history, lineage, housing, wealth, and public policy. Participants will then examine their own personal or family experiences with housing, neighborhood change, property ownership, displacement, and community loss. Attendess will explore the difference between community-centered redevelopment and gentrification, learn how to engage city councils and other local decision-makers, and develop a concise advocacy statement to use when communicating with policymakers or providing public comment.

From Education to Organized Action

This workshop moves beyond simply discussing displacement. Participants will learn how advocacy strategies differ at the local and state levels and examine how inside strategies—such as direct engagement with policymakers and institutions—can work alongside outside strategies, including grassroots organizing, coalition building, public education, and community mobilization.

The workshop will conclude by introducing the broader anti-displacement campaign and providing participants with an opportunity to become involved in one of three areas:

• Lobbying Group — Engage policymakers and support government advocacy.
• Outreach Group — Build community participation, partnerships, and public awareness.
• Media Group — Help communicate the campaign's message and elevate community stories.

Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of redevelopment, gentrification, and displacement; practical tools for engaging government; a personal advocacy statement; and a pathway for continued involvement in the campaign.

The goal is not simply to attend a workshop—it is to turn community education and personal experiences into organized action. The series intentionally progresses from community education and storytelling to visioning, government engagement, campaign strategy, and sustained participation. Anti-Displacement Workshop and …

Who Should Attend: Greensboro and Triad-area residents, neighborhood leaders, housing and community advocates, students, faith and civic organizations, and anyone concerned about displacement, gentrification, housing, and the future of their community.