National Park Service Awards $2.5 Million to Preserve Alabama HBCUs
The National Park Service says it will help preserve historic buildings on the campuses of Alabama’s historically Black colleges and universities.
In an announcement from U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Alabama), $2.5 million will be used to preserve historic structures on the campuses of Alabama State University, Miles College, Selma University, Alabama A&M University and Stillman College. Sewell serves as Vice Chair of the Congressional HBCU Caucus.
The following Alabama HBCUs will receive funding:
Alabama State University – $500,000 for the G.W. Trenholm Hall Preservation Project
Miles College – $500,000 for the Williams Hall Historic Preservation Project
Selma University – $500,000 to preserve the Historic Dinkins Memorial Hall
Alabama A&M University – $500,000 for restoration and renovation of Carnegie Hall Library
Stillman College – $500,000 to transform Sheppard Library into a Civil Rights museum
“Alabama’s HBCUs have played such a pivotal role in shaping the history of our nation, and I was so proud to help make this funding available which will be used to preserve these cherished institutions,” Sewell said in a statement.
“On behalf of everyone at Selma University, we are elated to receive the grant award,” said Selma University President Stanford E. Angion, Ed.D. “We are so appreciative of Congresswoman Sewell’s support of the university. This funding will go a long way in helping our students at Selma University and the entire community of Selma, Alabama.”
The funding announced today is part of a $9.7 million investment by the National Park Service in HBCUs nationwide. Since the 1990s, the NPS has awarded more than $87 million in grants to over 85 of the remaining active HBCUs. Congress appropriates funding for the program through the Historic Preservation Fund which uses revenue from federal oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf, providing assistance for a broad range of preservation projects without expending tax dollars.
