Aaron McDuffie Moore

He was the first African-American medical doctor of Durham, North Carolina, USA, and a prominent leader in the African-American community based in the part of the city known as Hayti. He founded Lincoln Hospital, a medical facility that served Negro patients during a time of racial segregation. Moore was also instrumental to the incorporation of North Carolina Mutual Life Company, which became the largest black-owned business in the country, and the improvement of North Carolina's rural school education. Through philanthropic works and business enterprises, Moore played a significant role in improving the standard of living of African Americans in Durham. He also overcame racial discrimination, bridging the White and Black communities in Durham in addition to improving its healthcare and economy.

Early life and education Aaron McDuffie Moore was born on September 6, 1863, in Rosindale, North Carolina, to Israel Moore and Anna Eliza Spaulding Moore. Since the early nineteenth century, the Moore family, of African, Native American and European descent had owned land in Columbus County as free farmers. Like his nine siblings: 4 boys and 5 girls, Upon completing 8th grade, 30 of whom were white.

Marriage and family In 1889, Moore married Cottie S. Dancy, niece of John C. Dancy, a leading African-American Republican in North Carolina. They had a family together, including daughter Lyda Moore Merrick.

Politics Moore became interested in politics and was nominated for the office of coroner of Durham County in 1888. However, his campaign was met with much resistance from the white community, as shown by coverage in the Durham Recorder: "White men of Durham, those who have any respect for the Anglo-Saxon race, will you fail your duty on the 6th of November? Will you allow Negro rule or a white man's government?"

Moore was in a campaign marked by racial discrimination, as were many in those years. Euro-Americans were still trying to maintain dominance; by the end of the century while in control of the state legislature, they passed a constitution that essentially disfranchised blacks, a situation that persisted until federal legislation of the mid-1960s to enforce constitutional rights for minorities. Dismayed by the antagonism, Moore withdrew from the campaign and settled for supporting candidates who served the Durham community's interest.

Self-help business enterprise

Early involvement

In 1895 Moore began to invest in new black-owned businesses, to enable the community to develop its own skilled educated class and provide jobs for them. Dr. Aaron Moore rooted North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company in its "commitment to service", bringing much needed insurance services to the African American community in Durham. The Black business movement contributed significantly to Durham's race relations; while there was interracial friction in other cities, Durham's Euro-Americans tolerated and some supported its Black businessmen, as their progress benefited the city as a whole. Moore was thus a key figure who not only stimulated growth in Durham, but also brought social progress to the city.

Lincoln Hospital Moore founded the Lincoln Hospital in 1901. With Merrick's help, Moore "raised $25,000 in the black community and $100,000 in the white community", $75,000 of which was contributed by the Duke family. and because of their close relationship with Merrick. Moore directed the construction of Lincoln Hospital and oversaw its completion in 1901. He served as its Superintendent until his death in 1923. In 1923, when he died, Moore bequeathed three properties to the hospital, an endowment to be used to generate income to fund students of the Lincoln Hospital Training School of Nursing. Some whites considered their contributions a kind of thanks for what they saw as Black support during the Civil War.

Contribution to education Moore advocated education in the African-American community. Besides serving on the Board of Trustees at his alma mater, Shaw University, Moore was also one of the largest donors to the school. He also established a library in Durham to serve the African-American community, which became the Stanford L. Warren branch of the Durham County Public Library on January 17, 1940. Besides improving the rural school system for Blacks in North Carolina,

From 1914 until his death in 1923, Moore concentrated on improving rural schools for African-American children. He hired George W. Davis, Following Moore's success, the state of North Carolina took over his work while the North Carolina Teachers' Association made him the Secretary-Treasurer of its Rural School Extension Department, a position he served until 1922. Race relations in Durham also improved following Moore's leadership in the African-American business movement, which ushered in an age of cooperation between Black and White business leaders. His partnership with the Euro-American community in social projects such as the Lincoln Hospital also served to forge stronger bonds between the two races. Today, the Lincoln Hospital is remembered as "a monument of [the] spirit of racial cooperation".

Posthumous recognition Moore was recognized as a Main Honoree by the Sesquicentennial Honors Commission at the Durham 150 Closing Ceremony in Durham, NC on November 2, 2019. The posthumous recognition was bestowed upon 29 individuals "whose dedication, accomplishments and passion have helped shape Durham in important ways."