$3.1M awarded to preserve historic Civil Rights sites across Alabama

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Over $3.1 million in funding is being awarded to preserve historic sites related to Civil Rights and the African American struggle for equality in Alabama.

The National Park Service’s African American Civil Rights Grant Program provides the money. It will support various planning, development, and research projects for historic sites, including survey, inventory, documentation, interpretation, education, architectural services, historic structure reports, preservation plans, and “bricks and mortar” repair.

NPS has awarded the following grants, which total $3,149,900, for historic sites in Alabama:

$74,800 to the City of Anniston for Story Mapping and Formalization of Operations and Maintenance for the Anniston Civil Rights Trail
$750,000 to the Historic Bethel Baptist Church Community Restoration Fund in Birmingham for historic preservation
$750,000 to the St. Paul United Methodist Church in Birmingham for preservation and restoration
$750,000 to the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church in Montgomery for repair and rehabilitation
$75,000 to the Alabama Historical Commission in Montgomery for the Freedom Rides Museum Vintage Greyhound Bus Virtual Reality Experience
$750,000 to the Alabama Historical Commission in Montgomery for rehabilitation of the second floor of the Moore Building

Each year, U.S. Rep. Terri, AL-07, leads the congressional effort to increase funding for the NPS African American Civil Rights Grant Program to preserve America’s Civil Rights sites and HBCUs.

“As the Representative of Alabama’s Civil Rights district, I take seriously my responsibility to ensure that we preserve the living legacy of the Civil Rights Movement,” said Sewell. “Each year, I’m proud to lead the effort in Congress to increase funding for the National Park Service’s African American Civil Rights Grant Program to ensure that America’s civil rights history lives on. This $3.1 million is a big win for the State of Alabama and will help ensure that faces and places of the Movement are never forgotten!”

For more information about NPS historic preservation programs and grants, please visit nps.gov/stlpg.

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