Cameron Village to Become "Village District"

Photo courtesy of VisitRaleigh

TW: mention of slavery

It was announced on Jan. 28 that Cameron Village in Raleigh, North Carolina, will rebrand itself to Village District. The rebranding has already taken place online and will continue in the coming weeks.

Cameron Village was North Carolina's first planned mixed-use development and has held this name for 70 years. The land it is built on was once part of the Cameron Plantation, prior to the Civil War. Duncan Cameron, the plantation owner, owned one of the largest holdings of enslaved peoples in the Raleigh area and is the namesake of Cameron Village. After the Civil War, enslaved men and women who were freed from plantations in the Raleigh area developed Oberlin Village. Oberlin was a Black community where colleges, churches, schools and businesses could thrive. With this name change, Village District can begin trying to uphold the history of Oberlin Village and take a step toward the reconciliation of negative and hurtful history.

By Freya Dahlgren, Staff Writer