The District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office in the Office of Planning was recently awarded a grant from the National Park Service to preserve and highlight sites and stories associated with their civil rights movement and the African-American experience.
“Through the African American Civil Rights Grant Program, we’re helping our public and private partners tell unique and powerful stories of the African-American struggle for equality in the 20th Century,” said Michael Reynolds, National Park Service acting director.
The Office of Planning’s “history project” received a $37,500 grant — one of seven given in the Washington Metropolitan region — to find stories and sites that are not well known. The office was one of 39 agencies and organizations in more than 20 states to receive the grant.
“Washington, D.C., served as the backdrop for many historic events as African-Americans across the nation fought for equal rights,” said Eric Shaw, director of the Office of Planning. “This grant will support the creation of a web-based heritage trail, rich with photographs and historical details dedicated to African-American civil rights in the District of Columbia.”
The history project, when completed in 2018, will feature a standalone website that will provide the venue for telling the important stories and histories of individuals, groups, institutions, and other entities engaged in the struggle for civil rights for African-Americans, locally and nationally.
Roughly 100 sites will be identified, researched and recognized as part of this grant.
