Reinterpreting the Foundation of Lincoln Hospital:
General Material Designation
[Thesis]
First Statement of Responsibility
McNair, Khadija V.
Title Proper by Another Author
Race, Power, Philanthropy, and Public History in Durham, North Carolina
Subsequent Statement of Responsibility
Johnson, Charles D.
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
North Carolina Central University
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
2020
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Specific Material Designation and Extent of Item
105
DISSERTATION (THESIS) NOTE
Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree
M.A.
Body granting the degree
North Carolina Central University
Text preceding or following the note
2020
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
Completed in July 1901, Lincoln Hospital was the first and only African American hospital in Durham, North Carolina. Located on the corner of Proctor Street and Cozart Avenue, it was the product of fundraising and support-building steeped in racial struggles. Dr. Aaron McDuffie Moore created a network of African American community members who came from varying experiences to assist in persuading tobacco magnate, Washington Duke, to give the initial funding for the construction of the hospital. Through detailing the racial views and health disparities among the early populations of Durham, North Carolina, a clearer understanding of the history of Lincoln Hospital will develop. The motivations of the major figures who aimed to establish a professional hospital for Durham's African American communities is a direct reflection of the racist society in which it was formed. In turn, this narrative sheds light on the misperceptions and myths that define the history of Durham today. I argue that the current historical interpretation within a key public history institution that centers Washington Duke as a philanthropic liberal is misleading. The relationships between Duke and Durham's black communities are defined by white paternalism, labor exploitation, and racial accommodationism.