Selma, AL – Today, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) announced $750,000 in funding through the National Park Service (NPS) for the Historic Tabernacle Baptist Church in Selma, Alabama as a part of a $4.48 million investment to preserve sites that have a history of direct involvement in the fight for equal rights. Funds were awarded through NPS’s Historic Preservation Fund’s History of Equal Rights Grant Program. Each year, Rep. Sewell plays a vital role in securing funding for NPS for historic preservation 

“Each year, Congress makes decisions about which federal programs to fund, and as the Representative of America’s Civil Rights District, investing in historic preservation projects to ensure they receive the critical funding they need and deserve remains one of my top priorities,” said Rep. Sewell.  “I am thrilled that the historic Tabernacle Baptist Church in Selma is receiving this funding to provide necessary updates to the infrastructure. As the site of the first mass meeting of the 1960s Voting Rights Movement, this church remains a living testimony of those giants who fearlessly fought for freedom, equality, and justice for all. By preserving these sites, we are reminded of America’s sordid and storied history and remain inspired by the possibilities of our future.”

Background on the History of Equal Rights Grant Program: 

Since its establishment in 1977, the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) has provided more than $2 billion in historic preservation grants to states, Tribes, local governments, and nonprofit organizations. Congress appropriates funding for the program through the HPF, which uses revenue from federal oil leases on the Outer Continental Shelf to provide assistance for a broad range of preservation projects without expending tax dollars. 

Authorized at $150 million per year, the current legislation authorizing the HPF expires in 2023. Administered by the NPS, HPF funds may be appropriated by Congress to support a variety of historic preservation projects to help preserve the nation’s cultural resources. Congress appropriated funding for the History of Equal Rights grant program in the fiscal year 2022. 

“Receiving a History of Equal Rights Grant advances the preservation of the Historic Tabernacle Baptist Church Selma's historic site and story.  Because of the grant, the Historic Tabernacle Baptist Church,” said Historic Tabernacle Baptist Church Legacy Foundation Inc. Chairwoman, Dr. Verdell Lett Dawson. “Legacy Foundation is ecstatic that we can preserve this influential site and history for current and future generations.”

For more information about the NPS’s Historic Preservation grants and the History of Equal Rights Grant Program, click here.