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Event cover for Deep Ellum Was Black Before It Was Cool featuring Donald Payton, part of the The Hang Theory series at 2700 SWISS Event Space in Dallas

Deep Ellum Was Black Before It Was Cool

How a neighborhood's identity got bought, sold and rebranded three times
When
Thursday, November 19, 2026
Where
2700 SWISS Event Space
2700 Swiss AvenueSuite 100
Price
$35
Doors
6 PM
Tickets coming soon
Refunds 24h beforeStreet parking is encouraged. There is also a paid lot half a block away at the corner of Florence Street and Cantegral Street. That lot is privately owned and is not operated by or affiliated with Hang Dallas or 2700 SWISS Event Space. Pay at the sign when you park. The lot owner enforces its own rules, and unpaid vehicles may be booted or towed at the driver's expense. We cannot help with lot fees, boots or tows.

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What this talk is about

The Hang Theory. A lecture series by Hang Dallas.

One speaker. One big idea. One good room.

Where · 2700 SWISS Event Space.

Deep Ellum's story gets told a lot of ways, depending on who's doing the telling. Donald Payton walks through the neighborhood's actual history: the Freedman's Town roots, the blues and jazz years when Blind Lemon Jefferson played the streets and Robert Johnson cut sessions in Dallas, the freeway that carved through it, the 1980s comeback, and the question of who gets to claim that legacy now. This is a case study in how a place's identity gets bought, sold, and rebranded over generations.

How the night goes

Doors at 6:00 PM. Come early, grab a drink and something to eat, settle in.
Donald takes the floor at 7:00 PM.
Questions from the room near 7:45 PM.
Afterward, stay for a glass of wine with Donald. The best conversations happen then.

Who's speaking

Donald Payton

More talks in Dallas

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Tickets coming soon

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2700 SWISS Event Space · Dallas, TX