Major Taylor Community Outreach
Help us build it.Leadership interest.
A multi-day heritage athletic festival on Durham’s historic Black Wall Street, targeted for fall 2027. Eleven committee chair positions are open, and every one of them builds a team behind it.
The idea
What we are planning
Four blocks of Parrish Street once held the highest concentration of Black-owned financial institutions in the country. We are building a weekend that takes people through it on foot and on two wheels.
Cycling, running, and walking
Routes that start and finish on Parrish Street and carry participants through Durham.
A cultural festival
Music, food, and programming open to the city, not only to people wearing a bib.
A vendor market
Black-owned businesses selling on the same blocks where Black business in this country was built.
The Legacy Dinner
An evening honoring the people who built this street and the people carrying it forward.
Why it matters
It is not a race that happens to take place in Durham.It is a celebration of Durham’s Black Wall Street that happens to include a race.
Move
The athletic experience across cycling, running, and walking.
Remember
The heritage and history of Parrish Street and Black Wall Street.
Celebrate
The festival, the concert, the dinner, and the shared experience.
Connect
The relationships, the commerce, and the community built along the way.
Participation
Three ways to serve
Every position on this team is a volunteer position, from the chairs to the person handing out water at mile eight. A weekend this size runs on hundreds of service hours given by people who believe it should exist.
Committee Chair
Owns a function end to end through the planning cycle. Builds a committee, reports on a fixed cadence, and works event week in an operational capacity.
Committee Member
Serves on a named committee. Attends planning meetings, carries assignments between them, and works event weekend.
Volunteer
Contributes shifts during event week, individually or as part of a group adopting a station or a function.
Open positions
Eleven committee chairs
Each chair owns one function end to end and reports to the principal whose cluster that function sits in. Several positions are stronger with co-chairs, and partnered applications are welcome. Select a role to read what it owns.
Reporting to the Director of Event Quality and Safety
Athletic operations
Cycling ChairMove · Co-chair friendly
Scope of responsibility
- Route design for the Year One distances of 20, 40, and 62 miles
- Planning so the century can be added in year two or three
- Route safety assessment covering surfaces, traffic, intersections, and turn complexity
- Participation in the city permitting process, including documentation and closure requests
- Durham Police coordination for escorts, intersection control, and secondary employment scheduling
- Ride marshal recruitment, briefing, and course assignment
- SAG planning: vehicle count, driver recruitment, coverage zones, and mechanical support
- Cue sheets, GPS files, and route communication to registrants
Background suited to this role
Extensive riding experience in and around Durham. Sound judgment on route safety. Willingness to sit in permitting conversations.
Time commitment
Light through early planning. Route work intensifies once dates are set. Heavy in the final eight weeks and event week.
Run and Walk ChairMove · Co-chair friendly
Scope of responsibility
- Course design for the Year One run and walk distances
- Planning for the half and full marathon, both under consideration for years two and three
- Course certification, the longest lead item on the athletic side of the program
- Participation in the city permitting process and route documentation
- Durham Police coordination for intersection control and course safety
- Pace group organization, sweep runners, and course marshal coverage
- Timing vendor evaluation and relationship management
- The walker experience, designed as its own offering
- Partnership development with Black Girls RUN! and the National Black Marathoners Association
Background suited to this role
Direct race experience. An understanding that first-time walkers and distance runners need different things. Familiarity with course certification.
Time commitment
Certification should begin as early as possible. Steady through design. Heavy in the final eight weeks and event week.
Rest Stops and Aid Stations ChairMove · Co-chair strongly preferred
Scope of responsibility
- Rest stop and aid station build-out across every Year One distance
- Cycling rest stops at 10 to 15 mile intervals with food, hydration, restrooms, and mechanical support
- Run and walk aid stations at 1 to 2 mile intervals
- Supply sourcing, purchasing, and budget management across all stations
- Staging, transport, and distribution planning to remote course locations
- Station captain recruitment and adopt-a-station group coordination
- Course Support Command during event week: replenishment dispatch, SAG dispatch, and supply reallocation
Background suited to this role
Logistics and supply chain capability. Composure under simultaneous demands. Experience coordinating operations spread across a map.
Time commitment
Light early. Sourcing and budget work through design. Very heavy in the final six weeks and full command presence on event day.
Safety and Medical ChairMove · Co-chair friendly
Scope of responsibility
- Development of the event emergency action plan across every venue and every mile of course
- EMS provider evaluation, coverage planning, and contracting support
- Medical tent location, staffing, supplies, and operating hours
- Medical coverage across every distance, including mobile response
- First aid capability at every rest stop and aid station
- Incident documentation and chain of communication
- Safety content within volunteer and course marshal briefings
- Route review prior to permit submission
Background suited to this role
A clinical, EMS, emergency management, athletic training, or first responder background. Experience developing response plans.
Time commitment
Begins as routes take shape and continues through permitting. Moderate through design. Heavy in the final six weeks and event week.
Reporting to the Director of Operations
Participant operations
Registration ChairMove · Co-chair friendly
Scope of responsibility
- Platform configuration across every distance, plus dinner tickets, VIP tiers, and merchandise add-ons
- Pricing tier activation across four scheduled milestone dates
- Chair and promotional code administration
- Registration data integrity and handoff into the CRM
- Participant communication from confirmation through race week
- Packet pickup process, location, timing, and volunteer staffing
- Race day check-in flow with separate lanes by discipline
- Results delivery, finisher communication, and post-event survey deployment
Background suited to this role
Process discipline and comfort with software configuration and testing. A tendency to find the failure point before a participant does.
Time commitment
Steady from the outset, with tier activation throughout. Heavy in the final six weeks and event week.
Volunteer ChairConnect
Scope of responsibility
- Recruitment across two tracks: individual volunteers, and groups adopting a station or function
- Group recruitment from Greek organizations, student groups, congregations, and corporate teams
- Service learning partnerships with NCCU, Duke, UNC, and Durham high schools
- Role definition and shift structure across every day of the event
- Application, screening, sizing, and assignment processes
- Training and briefing materials, incorporating safety content
- Volunteer benefits administration, service hours documentation, and group recognition
- Retention strategy across program years
Background suited to this role
The ability to organize and motivate large groups early in the morning. Comfort recruiting from organizations as well as individuals.
Time commitment
Light early. Group recruitment begins well ahead of individual recruitment. Very heavy in the final six weeks and event week.
Host Hotel and Hospitality ChairConnect · Co-chair friendly
Scope of responsibility
- Host hotel evaluation, selection, and negotiation
- Room block contracts including rate, inventory, cutoff dates, and attrition terms
- Overflow hotel tier across multiple price points
- The Discover Durham relationship and destination marketing coordination
- Booking integration with the registration flow
- Block pacing tracked against cutoff, with release recommendations ahead of penalties
- Transportation between hotel, start line, festival footprint, and dinner venue
- Room night data capture supporting economic impact reporting
Background suited to this role
Contract literacy, particularly around attrition and cancellation terms. Hospitality, travel, or corporate meeting planning experience.
Time commitment
Negotiation begins once dates are set. Steady oversight throughout. Heavy in the final six weeks.
Legacy Dinner ChairCelebrate · Co-chair friendly
Scope of responsibility
- Venue selection from candidates including Jireh Family Farm, Bennett Place, and West Point on the Eno
- Farm sourcing partnerships with North Carolina growers, prioritizing Black owned farms
- Chef and catering team selection and menu development within budget
- True cost per cover, tracked closely against ticket revenue
- Program design, entertainment, and run of show
- Decor, table design, and the overall feel of the room
- Floor plan, table inventory, and the reservation process
- VIP table experience and Founding Legacy Partner recognition
Background suited to this role
Hospitality judgment at a premium price point. Vendor negotiation capability. Budget discipline in a category prone to overruns.
Time commitment
Venue and catering decisions early. Design and program work in the final months. Heavy the final four weeks.
Reporting to the Executive Director
Partnerships, community, and heritage
Vendor Expo ChairConnect · Co-chair friendly
Scope of responsibility
- Vendor recruitment prioritizing Durham-area Black owned businesses
- Pipeline development through markets, festivals, social channels, and referral
- Application design, screening, and approval criteria
- Curation of the market as a coherent, intentional space
- Booth fee invoicing, collection, and late payment policy
- Site map, booth assignment, and load-in scheduling
- Power, water, and infrastructure requirements by vendor category
- Day-of market operations from load-in through breakdown
Background suited to this role
Curation judgment and comfort recruiting small business owners, some of whom have been burned by bad markets before.
Time commitment
Recruitment begins once dates are confirmed and builds steadily. Heavy the final six weeks.
Community Partnerships ChairConnect
Scope of responsibility
- Relationship development with Durham congregations, neighborhood associations, and community organizations
- NCCU and Duke campus engagement, including service learning approvals
- Local running and cycling club relationships across the Triangle
- Youth and family programming partnerships
- Community input processes so Parrish Street residents and businesses are consulted rather than informed
- Local turnout strategy for the free festival components
- Warm introduction pipeline supporting sponsorship and vendor recruitment
Background suited to this role
Established Durham relationships, or a genuine commitment to building them. Patience with work that does not produce immediate results.
Time commitment
Steady and continuous from now through the event. This role rewards consistency more than intensity.
Heritage and Culture ChairRemember
Scope of responsibility
- Heritage programming design across the full event arc
- Partnership development with Hayti Heritage Center, Durham County Library, and NCCU archives
- Historian and community elder relationships, including families with direct ties to Parrish Street and Hayti
- Oral history capture and the storytelling woven across the weekend
- Historical accuracy review of all public facing event content
- Stage programming for the cultural festival
- Heritage narrative on course signage, in packets, and in the finisher experience
Background suited to this role
An established relationship to Durham’s Black history, or a serious commitment to building one. Comfort with institutions, archivists, and elders.
Time commitment
Relationship development begins immediately and continues throughout. Programming design in the final months.
The process
Leadership interest form
Everyone gets the same opportunity. One process, one form, one deadline, whether we have known you for ten years or met you last week. You can apply, express interest, or simply ask a question before deciding. Submitting this form does not guarantee placement, and assignments are based on event needs and the alignment of skills, experience, interest, and availability.
Applications are due September 1, 2026. Assignments will be communicated by the end of September.