Pictured are John Merrick, CC Spaulding, and Aaron Moore…the founders of NC Mutual….Today Black History Month recognizes Dr. Aaron McDuffie Moore (1863-1923)…Dr. Moore was Durham’s first Black physician…He was a co-founder of NC Mutual Life Insurance Co…co-founder of Mechanics & Farmer’s Bank…founder of Lincoln Hospital where he served as its first Medical Director…and a co-founder of the Stanford L. Warren Library…Merrick-Moore School bears his name…His energies were directed toward self-help, racial solidarity, and the formation of all-Black institutions…His mantra was ‘rather than wait on the White community to do things for us, the Durham Black community will do for itself’….Those of us who grew up in Durham, NC owe so much to Dr.Moore…true pioneers from Durham’s glorious history.
