FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                               

Contact: Susan Moss, Public Relations Manager  

susan.moss@ahc.alabama.gov, 334-230-2678

April 19, 2022

Alabama Historical Commission Awarded $50,000 Grant

(Montgomery, AL) The Alabama Historical Commission receives a $50,000 grant from The National Park Service to Survey African American Schools in Alabama

Alabama Historical Commission (AHC) was awarded a $50,000 grant from the National Park Service (NPS) to research and document African American Schools in Alabama. This grant is one of 22 projects across the nation that will support the identification, planning and development of nominations to the National Register of Historic Places to increase representation of Black, Indigenous, and communities of color listed in the system.

“The AHC is pleased to receive this grant from the National Park Service” said Dr. Jim Day, Chairman of the Alabama Historical Commission. “The identification of these schools will write another chapter in the history of our state.” Day continued, “Many of our towns and communities have hidden stories of African American education during segregation, but this documentation program will bring many of those accounts to light.”

The Alabama Historical Commission proposes to complete research that will serve as a basis for evaluating eligibility of African American schools in Alabama and nominating them to the National Register of Historic Places. The project will focus on the period beginning with the establishment of public schools during Reconstruction to 1972, by which time Alabama’s public schools effectively desegregated. Since African American schools that were funded by the Rosenwald Fund and other private foundations are already documented, this project will focus on public schools and private schools run by religious organizations. The documentation will develop statements of significance and historic contexts, which will include narratives relating to broad themes in the history of African American education such as the early establishment of schools by African Americans during Reconstruction, the roles of schools in African American communities during the Jim Crow era, connections between schools and civil rights activism, and the process and effects of public school integration in Alabama.

In the past few years, the Alabama Historical Commission has diligently sought to identify, preserve, and interpret sites significant to African American history in the state of Alabama. Through this project the AHC will nominate one to two schools to the National Register of Historic Places.

“We are thankful to the National Park Service for their continued support to recognize underrepresented communities across the country” said Lisa D. Jones, State Historic Preservation Officer and Executive Director of the AHC.

About the Alabama Historical Commission

Located in historic downtown Montgomery at 468 S. Perry Street, the Alabama Historical Commission is the state historic preservation agency for Alabama. The agency was created by an act of the state legislature in 1966 with a mission to protect, preserve and interpret Alabama’s historic places. AHC works to accomplish its mission through two fields of endeavor: Preservation and promotion of state-owned historic sites as public attractions; and statewide programs to assist people, groups, towns, and cities with local preservation activities. For a complete list of programs and properties owned and operated by the AHC, hours of operation, and admission fees please visit ahc.alabama.gov  

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