John Merrick and Durham's Black business district become a national model

Durham, North Carolina's Parrish Street district, anchored by John Merrick's barbershop and insurance empire and later North Carolina Mutual, became the model for Black capitalism in the early 20th century. W.E.B. Du Bois called it "the greatest Negro city in the world" and it proved that Black self-sufficiency and economic power were achievable under Jim Crow.