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We are a Community Rooted Organization.

 

Community Rooted Organizations:
Formal and informal groups that are owned, run, and operated by the people that live and work within their own communities.

These organizations are not only run by the most impacted within the community context but they are directly accountable to their neighbors and members. They can operate as a non-profit, for-profit, faith community or other organized formal or informal community group. The main identifier is that the Board, staff, and mission and vision were created and owned by those living within the community they are focusing their work or have been directly impacted by the area or context in which they serve.

Definition by Camryn Smith,

Edited by Niasha A. Fray, ma, MsPH

program director

 
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Our Roots

Communities in Partnership (CIP) formed in 2011 in Old East Durham, when a gathering of neighbors decided to take action following a neighborhood shooting involving two children. Frustrated by an inadequate and uninformed response from city officials and other local agencies we created CIP as a vehicle to give voice to local residents and hold officials and agencies accountable. Since then, CIP has been building trust and relationships amongst residents, developing local leaders, and changing the narrative about our community. Our work is now expanding to address the growing economic disparities among residents in light of local gentrification and the rising cost of living in our community and in Durham at large.

WHAT WE DO ➜

Our Team

Camryn Smith (she/her)

Co-Founder & Executive Director

Camryn Smith is a proud resident of Old East Durham and a community activist & organizer. She has been serving in place-based development work for over 23 years both stateside and abroad. Camryn is one of the founding members of Communities In Partnership (CIP), a community-rooted organizing and education group based in Old East Durham and serves as the Founding Executive Director. CIP focuses on addressing policy and systemic inequity for BIPOC and materially poor people within Durham focusing on social determinants of health, economic development, gentrification, and housing. Camryn is a RWJF Culture of Health Leader (Cohort 3), and an Aspen Institute Healthy Communities Fellow (Cohort 2022). She also serves locally as co-chair of Organizing Against Racism-Durham as well as serving as a member of the Racial Equity Taskforce for the City of Durham and the Built2Last/Durham Compact Board of Advisors. She also serves on the Executive and Steering Committees for the Equitable Food Oriented Development (EFOD) which is a national collaborative of food systems organizations run by black and brown communities to reshape the narrative surrounding food, community and economic development centered in black and brown liberation. She also co-authored a peer reviewed article with another CIP co-founder (Aliyah Abdur-Rahman) and 2 academic partners (Dr. Danielle Spurlock UNC-CH City and Regional Planning and Dr. Kay Jowers J.D. Duke’s Nicholas Institute of the Environment) on the ideology of how CIP was founded and operates from a developmental model versus the common charity based model. Camryn also was an attributing co-author for a chapter in a peer reviewed publication. The book, Nurturing Food Justice is soon to be released in 2025, and the chapter titled “Decolonized, Community-Rooted TM Food Justice: the Process of Shifting Power and Decision Making in Food Systems Planning Processes” published by MIT Press is her latest co-written contribution. She has also been chosen along with her close colleague, Jen Zuckerman to participate in Storia Summit, which is an intensive writing immersion for socially driven change makers and leaders to help ground their first published non-fiction book. Additionally, CIP was chosen to participate in the Kresge Foundation’s Fostering Urban Equitable Leadership (FUEL), which is an initiative to support the talent and leadership development needs of Kresge Grantees with a specific focus on racial equity and developing the leadership in emerging BIPOC leaders nationally as well as Robert Wood Johnson’s Pioneering Ideas Organizational Fellowship. Camryn is also a governing body member representing EFOD and CIP with Justice Funder’s Just Transitions Integrated Capital Fund which seeks to challenge philanthropy a way in which they can transfer endowed assets to historically and intentionally divested from communities and people by transferring wealth to community controlled, community rooted organizations through non-extractive 0% loans and reparative funding models via grants and direct reparative giving. She is also a delegate member and alumni of OC360 (Opportunity Collaboration) which is a collaboration of global network leaders that focus on creating sustainable solutions rooted in dignity and health to combat poverty and inequality. Camryn and her husband Ernest, a Civil Rights Attorney, love, live and work in their community in Northeast Central Durham. They are the proud parents of five adult children (3 girls, 1 son and 1 son in law), four of whom are rooted in the community, and their Shepherd mix Charli and their Corgi grand-dog, Oswald.

Ernest Smith (he/him)

Co-Founder & Director of Transformative Justice

Ernest Smith is currently a civil rights attorney, a community organizer, consultant, community advocate and lives in Durham, NC. Ernest spent a year, first as an intern then as an attorney with the Law offices of John L Burris in Oakland California learning and growing in the profession of civil rights law. When he returned to his home in Durham North Carolina to continue work in civil rights law, he went on to accept a position as Assistant Public Defender at the Durham County Public Defender’s Office and then went on to accept a position as Assistant District Attorney for Durham County. In December 2022 he left the Durham DA’s office to launch a community rooted, civil right law practice based in the community organization he and his wife Camryn with others co-founded, Communities in Partnership Ernest serves as the Director of Transformative Justice at Communities In Partnership. He and his family have been serving in place-based development work for over 20+ years throughout NC as well as abroad. Ernest, along with his family have experience in the international faith-based humanitarian aid & development community serving the Roma population in Romania for 2+ years working on community building, education, community health & inequality. Ernest and his wife Camryn (married 33 years and counting) are the proud parents of five adult children, 4 of whom live and work in the community, and their Shepherd/Chow mix Charli and their Corgi grand-dog, Oswald. The Smith’s received the Neighborhood Hero Award for their community work from Durham Inter-Neighborhood Council in 2015 He served as the Vice Chair of the Northeast Central Durham Leadership Council and currently serves as the co-chair of the Racial Equity Commission for Durham, NC. He is also a member of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and a brother in Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. He’s also served on the leadership teams of Forward Cities, Organizing Against Racism Durham (OAR Durham), REAL Durham, Fostering Alternative Drug Enforcement (FADE), and President of the Civil Rights Society at NCCU Law School. Ernest received his Juris Doctorate from The North Carolina Central University School of Law and is a member of both the NC State and Durham County Bar and is also licensed in Federal Court as well. He has a BA in Leadership in the Public Sector from North Carolina State University.

Muffin Hudson (she/her)

Board of Directors

Andréa “Muffin” Hudson is an activist, abolitionist and a freedom fighter who fights for people's rights in and out of the courtroom. Her own interaction with the criminal justice system which led to incarceration resulted in homelessness, restriction of employment opportunities and access to support services. With two children, the intersectionality of the aforementioned consequences, coupled with systemic racial discrimination directed her to advocacy, where, while trying to find remedies for herself, enabled her to become a leader in service to others.

She truly began her advocacy journey becoming steeped in the work of participatory defense. First becoming trained in the model and subsequently working with directly impacted people to Participatory defense with families that have gone through the court system. By leading and working with families to research and identify legal precedents, create socio-bio files that fully humanize the accused, Durham Participatory Defense has saved over 1000 years of incarceration for people. She also leads the court mobbing effort which is showing up to court in force,along with court watching training. She has been able to be in solidarity with black and brown people who are over criminalized by our judicial system. Ms. Hudson added to this work by becoming a core leadership member and organizer of North Carolina chapter of All of Us or None, an organization that seeks to end the acceptance of mass incarceration and punitive justice while educating and seeking liberation, equity and awareness of the harm and collateral consequences our current system imposes disproportionately in Communities of Color. She is a self-proclaimed prison abolitionist, and concurrent with leading weekly rolling protests at the Durham County jail to advocate for the release of prisoners during this current COVID-19 pandemic. She currently serves as the  Executive Director of North Carolina’s first community bail fund in Durham, NC.

Her advocacy has been recognized and lauded by community and local government. She was invited to serve on the Durham Human Relations Commission.  She currently serves on the board for Communities in Partnership.In addition, she is on the leadership board of the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, an organization committed to abolishing incarceration of women and girls.

Mrs. Hudson has built a reputation for bold truth telling, demanding the same level of accountability across the board, and bringing attention to the harm our current system engages in on communities and people that have been impacted and dehumanized by lack of integrity, truth, and true justice within our current system-all built on systemic and institutional racism. 

Aliyah Abdur-Rahman (she/her)

Co-Founder/Director of Innovation

Aliyah Abdur-Rahman (pronouns: she/her/hers) is a lifelong advocate for social justice and racial equity to propel society forward. She truly believes in the power of organizations and community to work together to solve the problems of the most marginalized. Aliyah was raised in Durham and has lived in East Durham for r 15 years. She is married to Bremer and are they are parents to son, Isa, and daughter, Rainaa. She is a graduate of Duke University (BS Computer Science and Math) and UNC Kenan-Flagler (MBA). Aliyah is a board member of Maureen Joy, a community school serving low wealth students of color with a commitment to ensuring that students have an excellent education while also equipping them to become active citizens engaged in social change. As part of east Durham’s activist community, she is co-founder of Communities in Partnership (CIP).. For almost a decade Aliyah worked on the Admissions team at Teach For America, most recently as a VP of Admissions. During her tenure, she was responsible for utilizing her love of technology and design to reimagine the Admissions process ushering in changes that transformed the organization. Most recently Aliyah was appointed the first DEI Fellow at the Center For The Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. You can always find Aliyah hanging out with her close-knit and extended family and seeking ways to combine efforts with other activist-entrepreneurs in Durham.

Candace Rashada-Mujahid (she/her)

Board of Directors

Candace Rashada-Mujahid (pronouns: she/her/hers) brings over twenty years of experience assisting in the development of successful grant proposals, as well as training and development for young adult and adult populations in transition from foster care, homelessness and incarceration, . Her experience with City University of New York, City of New York Administration for Children’s Services and New York State Office of Youth Services led to the creation and continued funding of programs that served transitioning public assistance recipients, youth leaving foster care as well as children in protective custody. Candace has also directed program design and implementation for traditionally under-served populations. She has also served as a grant proposal reviewer at both the New York state and federal levels. Since relocating to North Carolina, she has successfully written proposals for Community Success Initiative, a reentry community-based organization, as well as collaborated with other non-profits in the area that serve youth and adults. Candace currently serves as Program Director for Human Resources/Workforce Development and Career Readiness Programs for the Division of Corporate and Continuing Education at Durham Technical Community College. Candace holds a BA in English, and completed graduate coursework in Public Administration at Rutgers University. She holds a Master of Education degree from Concordia University.

Francia Aranda

Administration Assistant

Francia is a passionate advocate for social justice, lending
her skills and support to various projects, including recordkeeping for the Bail Fund in Durham, NC. With roots in California, Mexico and North Carolina. Francia has found her home in Durham, NC since 2019, residing with her supportive sister Kiara, her beloved pup Albondiga, and her adorable pup niece Juju. Being an ardent nature enthusiast,
Francia finds solace and rejuvenation in the great outdoors,
recognizing its healing powers to reset and ground oneself.

Courtney Smith (she/her)

East Durham Market Assistant Manager

A passionate chef with over a decade of experience in the food industry. I've dedicated my career to crafting exceptional culinary experiences while championing social and environmental causes that are close to my heart.
As the owner of a small food business, I prioritized supporting local black and brown farmers, ensuring fair wages for employees, and embracing eco-friendly practices. By sourcing ingredients from nearby communities, we celebrated the rich diversity of flavors and supported sustainable agriculture, but my passion extends beyond the plate. I am deeply committed to fostering thriving communities. I believe that access to safe, healthy, and nourishing food is a fundamental right for everyone. Through community engagement and collaboration, I strive to make a positive impact, empowering individuals to take charge of their well-being and the vitality of their neighborhoods.

Jocelyn Harvey (she/her)
Community Health and Wellness Team Advocate 
Community Health and Wellness Team Advocate focused on holistic wellness, community engagement, and creating welcoming spaces that support connection and healing. With years of personal study and advocacy in holistic health and healing, she is passionate about helping make wellness resources more accessible, community-centered, and culturally grounded. Her work is rooted in the belief that wellness should feel approachable, empowering, and connected to the everyday lives of the people we serve. 

Dr. Nishani Frazier is Director of Public History and Professor of History at North Carolina State University. Prior to NCSU, she held professional positions as Associate Curator of African American History and Archives at Western Reserve Historical

Dr. Nishani Frazier

Board of Directors

Director of Public History and Professor of History at North Carolina State University. Prior to NCSU, she held professional positions as Associate Curator of African American History and Archives at Western Reserve Historical Society, Assistant to the Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Archives at the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, and personal assistant for Dr. John Hope Franklin, before and during his tenure as chair of President Bill Clinton’s advisory board on “One America”.

Frazier began her early service in economic development with Southeast Raleigh Community Development Corporation which sought to counter the interrelated problems of poverty, affordable housing, lacking preservation of cultural identity, and racism. Notably, Southeast Raleigh CDC was heavily influenced black economic power activists featured in Frazier’s book Harambee City. Harambee City: Congress of Racial Equality in Cleveland and the Rise of Black Power Populism was released with an accompanying website on black economic development also titled Harambee City.

Midori Brooks (she/her)

Community Health Organizer

Midori has been working with Communities in Partnership for the past 5 years and she loves being able to help others. She wishes that we all be successful. She makes sure she is always giving back to her community. 

Cathy Rimer-Surles (she/they)

Board of Directors

Cathy (pronouns: she/they) is an attorney, educator, and equity champion deeply influenced by her experiences growing up white, queer, and gender non-conforming in the south.  She organizes, educates, and agitates for justice and liberation in this city she loves as a Board Member of CIP, as Co-Chair of Organizing Against Racism (OAR Durham) and as a co-founding member of Episcopalians United Against Racism (EUAR). 

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