20 Alabama African-American heritage sites on 2018 World Monuments Watch List

Historic Bethel Baptist Church in Birmingham

Twenty African-American heritage sites in Birmingham, Montgomery, Selma and Greensboro were named to the 2018 World Monuments Watch List.

The designation is an "unprecedented commitment to save 20 churches, hotels, schools and homes that were places of inspiration, shelter and comfort in Alabama," said Birmingham Civil Rights Institute President Andrea Taylor. Some of the sites date back to the Reconstruction era and the Civil Rights Movement.

BCRI nominated the sites to the watch list, which helps preserve sites of social conscience and architecture and historical importance, a year ago, she said. Following the nomination, the groups came together to form the Alabama African-American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium.

The Alabama sites are among 25 cultural heritage sites -- that present compelling conservation opportunities or face daunting threats, such as human conflict, natural disaster and rapid urbanization --included on the 2018 Watch List.

"The Alabama Civil Rights Sites Consortium embodies World Monuments Fund's efforts to support conservation work that can drive positive social change for communities around the world," said Joshua David, president and CEO of World Monuments Fund. "The churches, homes, and meeting places we have recognized represent our best and most treasured human values. We aim to celebrate and share these inspiring stories of courage and resolve, paving the way for a sustained legacy of action and social justice."

Taylor said the listed Alabama sites are in danger of being destroyed due to neglect or development. The designation doesn't come with funding, but it makes the sites more visible, she said.

The BCRI will work to seek donors on behalf of the consortium, Taylor said.

The No. 1 priority of the consortium is to record oral histories to preserve the stories of those who lived during the Civil Right Movement and significant points of history, she said.

Priscilla Cooper, director of the consortium, said the next steps will be to document all of the sites, collect oral histories, build a web presence for sites that don't have one and get young people involved in the process.

An exhibition of the sites on the watch list could be added to the BCRI or at other locations in the state.

Many of the sites are already included in the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument and Civil Rights Trail.

Alabama sites included on the 2018 World Monuments Watch List are:

Birmingham

1.            Old Sardis Baptist Church

2.            Sixteenth Street Baptist Church

3.            Historic Bethel Baptist Church

4.            St. Paul United Methodist Church

5.            The Ballard House

Selma and Black Belt

6.            Brown Chapel AME Church

7.            First (Colored) Baptist Church

8.            Jackson Family Home

9.            Tabernacle Baptist Church - Selma

10.          Jackson Family/SNCC Compound - White Hall

11.          Safe House Black History Museum - Greensboro

Montgomery

12.          Ben Moore Hotel

13.          Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church

14.          Dexter Avenue King Parsonage

15.          First Baptist Church

16.          Dr. Richard Harris House

17.          Jackson Community House and Museum

18.          Mt. Zion AME Zion Church

19.          Old Ship AME Zion Church

20.          United (formerly Trinity) Lutheran Church Parsonage

Representatives from many of the heritage sites were in attendance at a Monday press conference at the Historic Bethel Baptist Church to announce the 2018 watch list and consortium.

The Rev. Thomas Wilder of Historic Bethel Baptist Church said he hoped the church's inclusion on the watch list will bring more exposure and needed funds for the historic church.

"We believe this is one of the most sacred places in the world," he said, of the church which was pastored by the Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth and bombed three times during the Civil Rights Movement.

Wilder said the 92-year-old church building needs funds for maintenance and upkeep, including the installation of new lighting, fencing and security cameras.

Project consultant Georgette Norman told attendees that the new consortium is about allowing the historic sits to tell their stories. She asked the representatives to think about the stories they want to tell about their church or historic site.

"Now it is time to take our stories back," she said.

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