Morgan State University and several other historically Black colleges and universities will receive more than $650,000 in grants to preserve their campuses as part of a new initiative announced Tuesday.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation said in a news release that the grants will help provide technical assistance, fund cultural plans and help HBCUs “protect, preserve and leverage” their historic campuses, buildings and landscapes. The release said it will help ensure “these academic institutions and symbols of African American pride are preserved to inspire and educate future generations.”
In addition to Morgan State, the seven other universities receiving grants are: Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina; Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi; Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee; Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas; Spelman College in Atlanta; Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama.
Brent Leggs, executive director of the National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund said the HBCUs will develop preservation plans for either a campuswide project or individual buildings, many of which were designed and built by Black architects. One student from each of the schools will help carry out the preservation plans to “cultivate the next generation of Black professionals in historic preservation,” he said.
The $650,000 in funding is part of a larger initiative by the National Trust, which launched the action fund in 2017 as a $25 million campaign to preserve Black culture and celebrate the historic achievements of the Black community.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.