Latest news with #Leggs
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Historic Selma church at heart of Civil Rights Movement gets $1M in renovation funds
Brown Chapel A.M.E Church in Selma will be seeing long-awaited renovations this year, with a tentative reopening date set for March 2026. The building was constructed and designed in 1908 by A. J. Farley, a formerly enslaved builder and designer. During the civil rights movement, the church served as a meeting place for the foot soldiers on Bloody Sunday before the Selma to Montgomery March, as well as a refuge from the violence that ensued. Despite its historical significance and the fact that its congregation still gathers, the church has been closed for the past three and a half years. Brent Leggs, the executive director of African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund said that the organization is investing $1 million into the repair and restoration of Brown Chapel A.M.E Church. He said this investment will take the church from "vacancy to restoration," and make it into a "permanent testimony" to the role it played in the civil rights movement. "Historic places have the power to connect us to our past," Leggs said. "They can impact our lives in the present and even shape our future. …During that period [the early 1960's], civil rights activists organized, protested, and elevated racial injustice from a Southern issue to a pressing national issue. … Alabama's Black churches stood at the center of all of that." The planned restorative efforts include structural repairs; putting a new roof, kitchen and ADA compliant restrooms in the Fellowship Hall; restoring historic finishes in the sanctuary as well as bolstering the seating and flooring; and refreshing the doors and windows. U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, a Selma, Alabama native, said that Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church is significant to her, as it was her home church growing up, where she memorized her first speech as a Girl Scout. She also said that the larger history of Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church alone cements it as a cornerstone of American history. "Today the eyes of the world are upon Selma," Sewell said. "Today is an opportunity not only to remember the history, but to preserve it for future generations, and any commemoration of Bloody Sunday would not be complete without Brown Chapel AME Church. ... The history of Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church is sacred, and I believe it is our duty — all of our duty — as custodians of history, to ensure that it is preserved for future generations." In addition to The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund's contribution of $1 million, Leggs said the National Park Service has agreed to match the funds they raise — but only if they make it to $1.5 million. Leggs said that the plans they have made for the renovation are currently under review by the NPS. "The only thing we're waiting on is a generous American to fill our $500,000 gap," Leggs said. Brown Chapel A.M.E Church pastor Leodis Strong said there's a good chance that the congregation will be back in the historic church next March. "If I didn't have a bad hip and two bad knees, I'd do a holy dance right now," Strong told the congregation with a smile. Sarah Clifton covers business for the Montgomery Advertiser. You can reach her at sclifton@ or follow her on X @sarahgclifton. More: Are you in the know about Montgomery news? Take the weekly quiz This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Brown Chapel A.M.E Church in Selma to be restored by next year
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Historic Selma church at heart of Civil Rights Movement gets $1M in renovation funds
Brown Chapel A.M.E Church in Selma will be seeing long-awaited renovations this year, with a tentative reopening date set for March 2026. The building was constructed and designed in 1908 by A. J. Farley, a formerly enslaved builder and designer. During the civil rights movement, the church served as a meeting place for the foot soldiers on Bloody Sunday before the Selma to Montgomery March, as well as a refuge from the violence that ensued. Despite its historical significance and the fact that its congregation still gathers, the church has been closed for the past three and a half years. Brent Leggs, the executive director of African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund said that the organization is investing $1 million into the repair and restoration of Brown Chapel A.M.E Church. He said this investment will take the church from "vacancy to restoration," and make it into a "permanent testimony" to the role it played in the civil rights movement. "Historic places have the power to connect us to our past," Leggs said. "They can impact our lives in the present and even shape our future. …During that period [the early 1960's], civil rights activists organized, protested, and elevated racial injustice from a Southern issue to a pressing national issue. … Alabama's Black churches stood at the center of all of that." The planned restorative efforts include structural repairs; putting a new roof, kitchen and ADA compliant restrooms in the Fellowship Hall; restoring historic finishes in the sanctuary as well as bolstering the seating and flooring; and refreshing the doors and windows. U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, a Selma, Alabama native, said that Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church is significant to her, as it was her home church growing up, where she memorized her first speech as a Girl Scout. She also said that the larger history of Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church alone cements it as a cornerstone of American history. "Today the eyes of the world are upon Selma," Sewell said. "Today is an opportunity not only to remember the history, but to preserve it for future generations, and any commemoration of Bloody Sunday would not be complete without Brown Chapel AME Church. ... The history of Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church is sacred, and I believe it is our duty — all of our duty — as custodians of history, to ensure that it is preserved for future generations." In addition to The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund's contribution of $1 million, Leggs said the National Park Service has agreed to match the funds they raise — but only if they make it to $1.5 million. Leggs said that the plans they have made for the renovation are currently under review by the NPS. "The only thing we're waiting on is a generous American to fill our $500,000 gap," Leggs said. Brown Chapel A.M.E Church pastor Leodis Strong said there's a good chance that the congregation will be back in the historic church next March. "If I didn't have a bad hip and two bad knees, I'd do a holy dance right now," Strong told the congregation with a smile. Sarah Clifton covers business for the Montgomery Advertiser. You can reach her at sclifton@ or follow her on X @sarahgclifton. More: Are you in the know about Montgomery news? Take the weekly quiz This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Brown Chapel A.M.E Church in Selma to be restored by next year
New York Times
02-03-2025
- General
- New York Times
Black Churches Are Awarded $8.5 Million in Grants for Preservation
Grants were awarded to churches in 19 states, from Alabama to California. Credit... via The National Trust for Historic Preservation The initiative to save historic Black churches has aided 108 congregations since 2023. March 2, 2025 Black churches across the country recently were awarded more than $8 million in grants, part of an effort to preserve buildings that played significant roles in Black history. The grants, ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 and totaling $8.5 million, were announced on Feb. 24 and went to 30 churches. They were awarded by the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a program operated by the nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation, with support from Lilly Endowment Inc. Since its inception in 2023, the $60 million Preserving Black Churches initiative has worked with 108 congregations and invested $19.5 million, said Brent Leggs, the executive director of the fund and a senior vice president at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 'We wanted to leverage the tools of historic preservation to ensure the long-term viability and sustainability of these historic landmarks that are crucial in understanding the fabric of American life and history,' Mr. Leggs said. Image Aretha Franklin's father, Rev. C.L. Franklin, commissioned the New Bethel Baptist Church in 1961. The Detroit church was recently awarded a $500,000 grant, which will help fund a new roof and repairing water damage. National Trust for Historic Preservation calls Black churches 'the oldest institutions created and controlled by African Americans.' But in recent years, congregation numbers have declined, with many churches struggling to attract younger people. The grants are aimed at addressing 'urgent preservation challenges such as demolition threats, deferred maintenance, and structural issues, in addition to providing critical resources to help congregations strengthen their stewardship plans, enhance asset management, and grow fund-raising capacity nationwide,' according to a news release. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
