In the early twentieth century, Durham's Parrish Street became known as Black Wall Street—a four-block district that stood as a national symbol of Black economic achievement during the height of Jim Crow. At its center were John Merrick, Dr. Aaron McDuffie Moore, and C.C. Spaulding, known as the "Triumvirate." Together, they built North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company into the largest Black-owned insurance company in the nation, and their success rippled outward—spurring the founding of Mechanics and Farmers Bank, Lincoln Hospital, and a thriving ecosystem of Black-owned enterprises. W.E.B. Du Bois himself cited Durham as a leading example of Black economic progress. The Triumvirate succeeded because its members understood that no single person could do it alone. Merrick brought the vision, Spaulding the management expertise, and Moore the medical practice that generated capital. They built institutions that reinforced one another.

TOGETHER, we carry that lesson forward. This work demands a new kind of triumvirate—not three individuals, but a network of partners and allies who contribute what no one person can—B.A.G & COMPANY

Land and Legacy Group provides the foundation: permanent affordable land through the community land trust model, removing property from speculative markets so families can build equity without fear of displacement. Skip Gibbs is also the Executive Chef of Renourish, managing the program’s food related efforts

ReCity Network provides what keeps families stable: wraparound services including childcare connections, job training, mentorship, and reentry support—the barriers that housing alone cannot address.

Renourish ensures no one goes hungry while building food sovereignty. Culinary training rooted in cultural traditions equips people with marketable skills and the dignity of feeding their families with their own hands.

And then there are the community members themselves—residents, organizers, technical experts, and grassroots leaders who co-create this work rather than simply receive it.

That is the real triumvirate. Not top-down. Not saviors. Just people committed to building systems that endure.