5 Alabama Civil Rights sites receive more than $3M in federal funding

Five sites across Alabama are getting funding to help preserve history connected to the Civil Rights Movement in the state.

The National Park Service’s Civil Rights Grant Program is giving the state just over $3 million to invest in the five Black Belt sites. It marks the third consecutive year the state has received at least $3 million from the program, following a $3.6 million investment in 2022 + $3.1 million in funding for three sites in 2023.

Keep reading to learn more about which sites will receive the funding + how the money will be used.

Where will the money be invested?

Rep. Terri Sewell announced the sites earlier this week, confirming which historic spots would get this year’s funding. Here’s the full list + how much money each site is getting:

• Tankersley Rosenwald School in Hope Hull—$750,000
• Historic Lincoln Normal School Gymnasium in Marion—$750,000
• Historic Tabernacle Baptist Church in Selma—$744,545
• Historic Moore Building in Montgomery—$686,596
• Freedom Rides Museum Virtual Reality Experience in Montgomery—$75,000

“We are thrilled that our efforts have once again paid off, with Alabama receiving more than $3 million to preserve sites associated with the Civil Rights Movement. Protecting and advancing our Civil Rights legacy will always be a top priority of mine. After all, those who don’t learn from our history are doomed to repeat it.”

~ Rep. Terri Sewell

The money will be provided to different groups to do work at each site.

Auburn University will be in charge of rehabilitating Tankersley Rosenwald School in Hope Hull. The Alabama Historic Commission will be tasked with enhancing both sites in Montgomery.

The Lincolnite Club will make masonry and structural repairs to the gym in Marion, repurposing it to be a multi-purpose community center.

And the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Selma will be replacing its mechanical systems to provide heating + cooling to the historic building.

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