The National Parks Service (NPS) announced on April 6 it will be giving $14 million in grants to a number of projects across the country that honor the civil rights era and Black movements for equality during the 1900s.
In a statement, the NPS said the grants will fund 51 projects across 20 states and the District of Columbia, including the Shepard Library at Stillman College, the Albert Kahn House in Detroit, Michigan, and the Greenwood Center buildings on Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“The preservation of these projects is an invaluable investment in the campuses, communities and individuals they serve. I am pleased that these funds will continue to allow our communities to learn from the Civil Rights Movement and the important role that South Carolina played in making America’s greatness apply more fairly and equitably to all of its citizens,” said South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn.
NPS Deputy Director David Vela thanked a number of public and private partners for helping the agency keep Americans informed about prominent Black movements.
“These grants will fund important projects that document, interpret, and preserve sites that tell the stories of the African American experience in the pursuit of civil rights,” Vela said.
In a video posted to its YouTube channel, the NPS explained its commitment to preserving Black historical sites across the country.
The $14 million comes from the African American Civil Rights Grants Program through the Historic Preservation Fund, which was appropriated by Congress in 2019. The money will go toward preserving legendary Black historical sites as well as providing resources for the discovery of sites that may be less known in places like Montgomery, Alabama, and Muskegon, Michigan.
The programs will also involve more detailed documentation of Black historical sites, educational activities that include oral history programs, structure reports, planning and other services.
"This grant from the National Park Service is great news for the advancement of the 1908 Springfield Race Riot location as a site of historic importance and furthers our efforts to designate it as a National Historic Monument. I look forward to seeing these funds raise awareness and understanding of the site with the general public," said Illinois Congressman Rodney Davis.
Black congressional leaders from across the country lauded the deal for helping revive historical sites that need to be revitalized to appeal to a new generation who may have forgotten about the decades-long efforts of Black civil rights movements.
“From 1923 to 1953, the Americus Colored Hospital was the only medical facility in the South where black medical professionals could practice and serve people of color. This hospital was vital to African Americans during Jim Crow and produced more trained professionals than larger cities like Atlanta, New York, and Chicago," said Georgia Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.
"During the Civil Rights Movement in Americus, the building became a Freedom Center and continued to serve the African American community in a new way. I am pleased this grant will preserve the Colored Hospital so future generations can learn about the strong civil rights history in southwest Georgia,” he added.
The NPS provided a lengthy list of sites where funding will be disbursed, with grants ranging from $20,000 to $500,000 going to each site. Local news outlets across the country spotlighted how the grants will affect their community. One grant in Oklahoma is going toward restoring and preserving a block of historically significant buildings in Tulsa that were destroyed during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
“Completed in 1918, Taborian Hall became a centerpiece of the African American community in central Arkansas and, during its heyday, showcased musical greats like Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, B.B. King, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dizzie Gillespie," said Arkansas Congressman French Hill.
"In recent decades, Taborian Hall had fallen into disrepair and would have likely been demolished had Kerry McCoy and Friends of Dreamland not purchased it with the vision of restoring it to its former glory. I commend the National Park Service for allocating nearly $500,000 to renovate and preserve this site and recognize its importance in the struggle for equality,” Hill said.
For more information about how to apply for grants or to learn more about Black historical sites, visit the NPS website.
