On Tuesday, March 12, the National Park Service (NPS) announced $12.6M in funds will be awarded to historic sites throughout the nation whose roles were pivotal to fostering the American Civil Rights movement. Funds allocated through the African American Civil Rights History Program will benefit 51 projects in 24 states, highlighting the African American struggle for equality in the 20th century.

The City of Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development is the recipient of a $500,0000 grant to support the rehabilitation of Clayborn Temple, whose role as a regional center for Civil Rights was central to the 1968 City of Memphis Sanitation Worker’s strike. The city will also receive a $50,000 grant benefiting the Memphis Heritage Trail, a project which celebrates the rich business, cultural, and musical heritage of African American achievement. In addition, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has been awarded $20,000 which will fund an exhibit designed to relay Clayborn’s story—and that of the sanitation workers’—to the public.

Congratulations to the City of Memphis and to the National Trust for these grant awards, and for their continuing dedication to fully tell the stories surrounding American Civil Rights.