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Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People
Who We Are
On August 15, 1935 a group of men gathered at a Durham Tennis Club to discuss black affairs and creating a new civic organization in Durham, North Carolina. On that day, The Durham Committee on Negro Affairs was formed. These founders, Charles Clinton Spaulding, James E. Shepard, Rencher N. Harris, W.D. Hill, R.L. McDougald, J.T. Taylor and L.E. Austin were referred to as “a committee of influential Negroes”.
In 1939, the Durham Committee adopted a creed drafted by R. N. Harris. Its emphasis was to register voters, run and support candidates that they indicated would most benefit our race. This creed also vowed to work for the betterment of several initiatives in the black community which included education, health, housing and economic power.
The name of the organization was later changed to the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People.
A beacon of economic power in the Black community
OUR HISTORY
Learn who we are through what we do
OUR MISSION
The DCABP will promote the welfare of Black people in civic, cultural, economic, educational, health, housing, political, youth, and religious and human affairs.
The DCABP will work toward the elimination of racial discrimination and acts of white supremacy in public and private affairs.
The DCABP will partner with other public and private groups in improving the cultural, economic, educational, and human affairs of the Black community.
OUR FOUNDERS
CHARLES CLINTON SPAULDING
Chairman
Charles Clinton Spaulding was an American business leader. For close to thirty years, he presided over North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, which became America's largest black-owned business, with assets of over $40 million at his death. Spaulding provided leadership in the National Negro Insurance Association and the National Negro Bankers Association by 1920. In 1942, the New York Chamber of Commerce, mainly a white body, elected him to membership. He served as a trustee for Howard University, Shaw University, and North Carolina College at Durham.
A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
Welcome to the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People website. We are pleased that you have come to visit us, and hope that you will take time to explore this site and learn more about the DCABP, what we do and how we do it, and some of the important initiatives we have undertaken on behalf of our community in Durham, the state and the nation in eight and one half decades of our existence.
DCABP was formed as the Durham Committee on Negro Affairs by a group of visionary leaders in 1935, with the goal of improving the lives of African-American citizens in Durham. From a relatively modest beginning, we have grown into an organization that is recognized nationally for our influence in matters pertaining to the African-American community in many arenas, including economic development, health and public safety, education and political activism.
In 2023 we are emerging from the pandemic with a renewed sense of optimism and commitment. With all that we have accomplished in our more than eight decades of existence we think we can do so much more, and we’re working to expand our membership to take on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. We have reduced the cost of student memberships and welcome more young people into the organization. Please consider joining us if you meet membership criteria.
Check us out. Let’s move forward together!
Walter A. Jackson
Chair, DCABP