2 historic Charlotte Black cultural sites awarded grants continue preservation missions

Neighbors in one Charlotte community have worked for years to preserve the legacy of the Morgan School — and now have at least a $50,000 grant to further their goal.

The former elementary school in Cherry, a historically Black neighborhood, is among two African American cultural sites in Charlotte and 40 nationwide awarded $3.8 million from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, the organization said in a release Tuesday.

The second Charlotte site is the First Baptist Church-West. It is the oldest Black baptist church in Charlotte, designed by Harvey Gantt, Charlotte’s first Black mayor.

In celebration of emancipation and Juneteenth, the Action Fund earlier this week announced its 2023 grantees. Each site received a grant ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 towards preservation. It’s unclear how much money each project received.

“The history embodied in these places is emblematic of generational aspirations for freedom, the pursuit of education, a need for beauty and architecture, and joys of social life and community bonds,” Brent Leggs, executive director, African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund said in the release.

These grants support the preservation of African American historical venues across the country, specifically modern sites designed by Black architects and historically Black colleges and universities, “whose buildings speak to the experience of Black communities in this era,” said Joan Weinstein, director of the Getty Foundation, said in the release.

The grants are devoted to one of four categories: building capital, increasing organizational capacity, project planning & development and programming & education.

Morgan School received a grant for project planning through its permanent stewards, the Cherry Community Organization, according to the release.

Neighbors in Cherry have fought to preserve the building since the school’s closure in 1968, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

While the land is still managed by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, neighbors want to turn the building into a multi-purpose facility for the Cherry community and name it the Historic Morgan School Community Learning and Heritage Center, according to the release.

First Baptist Church-West received a grant through the church’s Community Services Association for project planning with limited capital repairs. The church will use the grant to preserve the historic sanctuary by way of repairs to the roof and baptismal area, according to the release.

The Action Fund is the largest U.S. fund that prioritizes the preservation of African American sites and monuments. It is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that operates in partnership with other partners.

Since 2017, the Action Fund has completed 242 projects with a $20 million investment to expand America’s understanding of its own history and culture.

This story was originally published June 15, 2023 at 6:00 AM.