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Durham proclaims anniversary of Sam Cookes "A Change Is Gonna Come" and honors local ties
Summary
Durham Mayor Pro Tem read a proclamation marking the 60th anniversary of Sam Cookes single "A Change Is Gonna Come," highlighting the songs connection to Durham and recognizing local institutions and scholars who preserved the songs history.
Mayor Pro Tem Derek Middleton read a proclamation on behalf of the Durham City Council honoring the life and work of Sam Cooke and the connection of his song "A Change Is Gonna Come" to Durham, where Cook first drafted early lyrics in May 1963.
The proclamation noted that Rolling Stone and other publications rank the song among the greatest ever written and that the Library of Congress placed the recording in the National Recording Registry in 2007. Middleton invited representatives from the Hayti Heritage Center, North Carolina Central University Law School, Carolina Soul Records and Emancipate North Carolina to join him at the dais before reading the text.
"I was born by the river in a little tent," Middleton said while invoking the songs opening line and describing the piece as part of Durhams musical legacy. Angela Lee, executive director of the Hayti Heritage Center, and Nikkia Davis, associate dean of clinical education at North Carolina Central University School of Law, thanked the council for recognizing the song and emphasized Durhams role in civil-rights-era activism and culture.
The proclamation recognized students and sit-in protesters at North Carolina Central University whose demonstrations in 1963 influenced Cooke, and it noted that Cooke committed proceeds from the music to benefit the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The city resolved "to remember and honor Sam Cooke, as well as the Durham students whose bravery inspired him."
The event drew brief remarks from invited community leaders and ended with a lighthearted suggestion from Middleton that residents "go home tonight, Durham, and crank this thing up past 10" to listen to the song.
The council did not take formal policy action on the proclamation; it was ceremonial recognition recorded in the meeting minutes.
