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Dr. Aaron Moore is hailed as Durham’s first black physician and one of the original founders of the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company. However, he was also a strong education advocate who made a great impact on Durham’s public education system and beyond.

Residents are invited to learn more about this pillar of Durham’s black community at a free presentation that will uncover the critical role that Dr. Moore played in the education of blacks, not only in Durham, but throughout North Carolina.

Hosted by the Historic Parrish Street Forum, this free event will be held on Thursday June 20, 2013, at 7 p.m. at the Historic Parrish Street Forum, located at 108 W. Parrish Street in downtown Durham.

The presentation will be given by Joanne Abel, adult programming and humanities librarian with the Durham County Library. Abel will share her research on Dr. Moore’s work to improve education policies, the training of students, and the employment of black teachers.

Abel notes that Dr. Moore took decisive action in 1915 to inspect black schools. “Dr. Moore raised money to hire a statewide inspector of black schools who would be truly independent, because he was paid by the black community,” Abel said. “This inspector visited 35 counties and found the schools in Durham County to be among the worst. This finding was a catalyst for the actions Dr. Moore would then lead to improve black schools throughout the South.”

Abel will also discuss Dr. Moore’s advocacy for the employment of black teachers through the Jeanes Foundation – an organization founded to train black teachers and place them in schools in the South. These teachers worked to upgrade those schools and provide vocational training for black students.

This event is sponsored by the Parrish Street Project, an initiative of the City of Durham’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development and the Parrish Street Advocacy Group, to spur economic development and commemorate the history of Durham’s Black Wall Street.

Black & Missing: May 2013 Edition
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