Learn more about the AAAM x AACRN Microgrant recipients below.
Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice
“Pauli Murray Center Accessibility Consultation”
(https://www.paulimurraycenter.com/)
Durham, NC
The Pauli Murray Center lifts up the life and legacy of activist, legal scholar, feminist, poet, and Episcopal priest, the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, in order to address enduring inequities and injustices. This project will increase the Pauli Murray Center’s ability to include more community members in its programming by assessing their accessibility. Through this collaboration with Candor North Carolina, the Pauli Murray Center will be able to introduce Pauli Murray’s significant accomplishments and local African American Civil Rights history to a more diverse group of community members. This project will produce an accessibility plan after a site assessment and stakeholder meetings. With this plan documented and presented to Pauli Murray Center staff, they will be in a prime position to enforce modifications to programming to widen their accessibility. This plan will also be the foundation for accessibility in future land, space, and program development at the Pauli Murray Center.
Oklahoma Indian Territory Museum of Black Creek Freedmen History, Inc.
“Bloodlines: Oral history and documentary project”
(https://www.freedmenmuseum.org/)
Moore, OK
The Oklahoma Indian Territory Museum of Black Creek Freedmen History’s mission is to acquire, educate, document, protect, preserve, and exhibit the unique history and culture of the Black Creeks (Freedmen) of the Indian Territory. Creek Freedmen were forcefully removed to Indian Territory (now known as Oklahoma) on the trail of tears in the 1830s from their eastern homelands in Alabama and Georgia. The project will feature a diverse array of storytellers, including respected historians, accomplished authors, public officials, and direct descendants of Freedmen. Each narrator will share unique and compelling stories of resistance, resilience, and perseverance, collectively creating a vivid representation of the experiences and challenges faced by Freedmen
descendants across generations. Our primary objective is to meticulously document and safeguard the narratives of both elders and descendants, ensuring that the rich oral history of the Freedmen is preserved for future generations.
African American Cultural Society, Inc.
“AACS Museum Collection Conservation”
Palm Coast, FL
The African American Cultural Society is a cultural, educational, social, and charitable organization that owns and operates a cultural center and museum since 1991. Its mission is to “preserve and perpetuate, the cultural heritage of people of the African diaspora through educational, intellectual, and social activities and services deemed to be in the best interest of the entire community”, including AACS members, surrounding communities, people of the state of Florida and tourism visitors. We will inventory, digitize, and stabilize over 3K museum objects and literature representing African American and Diaspora heritage. Tasks include tagging/cataloging artifacts, matching objects with donor histories, photographing/uploading to Artwork Archive, performing basic conservation, and rehousing fragile items. AACS will integrate the digitized collection into its website and QR-code exhibit system. Foundational work will inform future interpretive exhibits, educational programs, and curatorial policy. It will also prepare AACS to manage new acquisitions and operate sustainably within its planned museum facility.
Friends of Lincolnville, Inc. dba Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center
“Tale of Two Beaches Traveling Exhibit”
(https://www.lincolnvillemuseum.org/)
St. Augustine, FL
The mission of the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center (LMCC) is to preserve, promote and perpetuate the 450 plus year history of African Americans in St. Johns County Florida through exhibits, educational programs, oral histories and the arts. The project would be to rebrand content from LMCC digital archives and create a new virtual exhibit and pop-up exhibit panels to share with student groups and others about the historical significance of two St. Johns County beaches and their role in local history. The exhibit would contain the history of the sights and the individuals connected to them in relation to that point in history. The Tale Two Beaches exhibit would be used for presentations in schools, accompanied by the pop-up banners or handouts and a question and answer session. Information would be shared with teachers in advance including background information on the historical personalities, locations or events.
Lincolnville Preservation and Historical Society
“Legacy of Leadership: A Historical Inquiry into Political Leadership in Lincolnville, SC, 1867-1965”
Summerville, SC
The Lincolnville Preservation and Historical Society is dedicated to preserving, promoting, and celebrating the rich cultural heritage of Lincolnville. Through education, community engagement, historical preservation, and economic development, we strive to honor the legacy of those who shaped our community while inspiring future generations to cherish and uphold its unique history. This project will employ a
research intern to conduct primary and secondary source research, oral history interviews, assist with National Register nomination of Wesley Church, and archival documentation to preserve the stories of Lincolnville’s African American elected officials, civic organizers, and national and statewide political innovators.
National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at Alabama State University
“Preserving and Documenting the Art Collection of the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture”
(https://www.lib.alasu.edu/natctr/)
Montgomery, AL
The National Center for the Study of Civil Rights & African-American Culture is a clearinghouse of information concerning Montgomery, Alabama’s pivotal role in the development of the modern Civil Rights Movement (CRM). It preserves and disseminates information reflective of the political culture and history of African Americans in Montgomery. Through its living museum, seminars, publications, and experts, the center is a place for all interested in studying the CRM and Montgomery’s place in it. The Center will improve the physical storage of its art collection, gain intellectual control of the collection by inventorying it into an art collection management platform, and increase its stakeholders’ access (to include ASU faculty and staff, scholars, and the public) to its art through an online library of its art holdings.
Puerto Rican Organization for the Performing Arts
“African Burial Grounds”
Orlando, FL
To build community, celebrate diaspora and connect people to history, culture and the environment through the arts. The proposed African Burial Grounds project will further expand PROPA’s Lugares Históricos program and continue to build on the genealogy work that has defined PROPA’s approach to cultural programming for the last decade. The funds will be used to fund a commemoration ceremony incorporating traditional AfroPuerto Rican funeral rites including a belén which was historically held for adults and a baquiné which was historically held for children at one of these African Burial Grounds, very likely the one we anticipate to identify in Humacao. The live event will offer ancestor veneration opportunities for those identified to have been interred at the respective location.
The Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture, Inc.
“Accessibility Upgrades to Black History Exhibits at The Peale”
Baltimore, MD
The Peale provides an accessible platform for artistic, scientific, cultural, and educational projects where collaborators can take creative risks, learn, connect with communities in Baltimore and beyond, and share their stories both in the historic Peale Museum building and online. The scope of work for this project includes upgrades to two exhibits: 1. The “Education Will Be Our Pride” exhibition accessibility upgrades will include installing tactile floor signage in the form of textured, colorful lines that will connect the “stops” of this exhibit across the three floors of the Peale Museum building. Upon grant award, The Peale team will consult with Dr. Cheryl Fogle-Hatch to order the floor signage. It must be both highly visible and reversible so that no permanent impact or damage is made on the fabric of the building. 2. The “Moses Williams: Cutter of Profiles” exhibition upgrades consist of having the 10 “shadow signs” of the exhibition printed in matt black acrylic and installed in place of the card paper versions currently on exhibit. A local community-run maker space will produce the acrylic shadow signs. Any necessary adjustments to the Braille and text panels below the shadow signs will also be made at this time under Dr. Fogle-Hatch’s supervision.
Tuskegee University Archives
“Tuskegee University: Marking Our Historic Buildings”
Tuskegee, AL
The University Archives’ purpose is to document the history of TU by identifying, collecting, preserving, arranging, and describing records having permanent value in documenting the administrative offices, academic departments, and related organizations. The Legacy Museum exhibits our visual arts collections and our history of science and healthcare, through bioethics. We provide a comprehensive look at Tuskegee’s rich history, particularly in education, civil rights, health, and science. “Tuskegee University: Marking Our Historic Buildings” will have two concurrent phases. First, the project team will work on interpretation and education by reviewing all current historic signage with the National Park Service (NPS), identify signs in need of contextual updates or conservation of exterior printed signage. The team will supervise the student researchers as they utilize the archival resources to complete primary document research on the history of each building and the individual, or family, that it was named for. Second, members of the project team will complete the necessary application to expand the margins of the Tuskegee Institute Historic District to include all eligible buildings identified by the student/team research. The goal is to update our 1965 National Historic Landmark designation on the National Register of Historic Places.
TBC Alliance Corp, Inc. (Tabernacle Baptist Church)
“The Black Spurgeon: The Charles T. Walker Digital Exhibition”
Augusta, GA
The Mission of Tabernacle Baptist Church is to reach hundreds of individuals throughout the community with life changing messages from the Word of God. The C.T. Walker Chapel Digital Exhibition project will create a virtual exhibit for education and interpretation in the original chapel at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Augusta. Georgia. The exhibition’s theme will be focused on Tabernacle Baptist Church and its connection to the United States Civil Rights Movement, highlighting Rev. C.T. Walker and Rev. Charles Hamilton. The virtual exhibit will be an ArcGIS mapping of the forthcoming exhibit that features artifacts and memorabilia from the church archive, the Lucy Craft-Laney Museum, and private family collections.
African American Fire Fighters Historical Society
“Arthur ‘Smokestack’ Hardy Collection Conservation”
Baltimore, MD
The African American Fire Fighters Historical Society is an organization whose mission is to collect, preserve and disseminate historical data, and information relating to the contributions made by fire fighters of color, and others who have made a contribution to such history; to be used for the purpose of education, mentoring and fire prevention. The aim of this project is to for the first time ever be able to start conservation of parts of the Arthur “Smokestack” Hardy Collection. Mr. Hardy was the world-renowned collector of African American Fire Fighter History. After his death this collection was held as the personal collect in the home of friend of Mr. Hardy. This coveted collection was purchased by the Fire Museum of Maryland, from whom we acquired it. The FMM felt that they could not interpret the collection the way it deserved and trusted the African American Fire Fighters Historical Society to do so. We look to establish an archival process to provide a framework for organizing, preserving, and making The Arthur Smokestack Hardy Collection accessible to researchers and the general public
Banneker Douglass Tubman Museum
“She Speaks: Black Women Artists and the Power of Historical Memory — 2026 Exhibition Catalogue”
(https://bdmuseum.maryland.gov/)
Annapolis, MD
As the State of Maryland’s official museum of African American heritage, the Banneker-Douglass Museum serves to document, interpret, and promote African American history and culture (particularly in Maryland) through exhibitions, programs, and projects to improve the understanding and appreciation of America’s rich cultural diversity for all. This project will support the production of a high-quality exhibition catalogue for She Speaks: Black Women Artists and the Power of Historical Memory that documents the exhibition, highlights key historical figures, and expands the museum’s collection and scholarship on Black women’s impact in Maryland.
Ivy Creek Foundation (River View Farm)
“Interpretation and Education of Historic River View Farms Connection to the African American Civil Rights Movement”
(https://www.ivycreekfoundation.org)
Charlottesville, VA
Ivy Creek Foundation’s mission is connecting people to the past and present by honoring the land, history, and community. Our vision is to inspire and engage our community in the stewardship of our natural resources and our rich African American cultural history. Sharing the story of the Carr/Greer family who owned and operated River View Farm is an essential part of African American Civil Rights history. Funding Ms. Mariah Payne, Director of Education for the Ivy Creek Foundation (ICF), is needed to continue interpreting this family and their home and educating the community about the Carr/Greer family’s contribution to civil rights. The completed research will be used to interpret the land, the people, and their impact on their community. Creation of new programming will be produced from this new research. Most importantly, this interpretation will illustrate how the Carr/Greers were essential leaders of the early Civil Rights movement and always sought to strengthen their community through education, equality, and access to resources.
CLIO Foundation (Greater Kansas City Black History Study Group Monthly Educational Programming)
“Goin’ to Kansas City: A Video and Audio Tour that shares Kansas City’s Connection to the History of the Negro Leagues”
Kansas City, Missouri
Clio utilizes technology from video and audio to our own location-aware web & mobile platform to connect the public to their local history and culture. We support educators and historical and cultural organizations throughout the U.S. by offering free digital tools and support. We produce short-form videos, podcasts, and virtual tours of museums and sites. We also provide resources that link students and the public to the skills employed by historians and other scholars. Our team of scholars, museum founders, community leaders, and media professionals will record and share oral histories in producing a short documentary film on Black baseball. Our team will also build an interactive audio tour that shares the history of the Negro Leagues with Kansas Citians. This interactive digital trail will utilize Clio’s GIS features, along with images, text, sources, and links to books and articles. The video will blend interviews and oral histories with historic photos and b-roll video throughout the museum. Meanwhile, the interactive driving tour will allow residents and visitors to drive from the museum to key locations related to the history of the Negro Leagues including the building where the league was founded in 1920, where the K.C. Monarchs played, and the historic home of Satchel Paige. Similar to many of the 1700 audio tours that are available in Clio, this educational experience will blend narration and oral history clips with short articles.
West Baton Rouge Museum
“Outdoor Exhibit Signage for Museum Campus”
(www.westbatonrougemuseum.org)
Port Allen, LA
The West Baton Rouge Museum is an educational resource committed to researching, collecting, preserving, presenting, and interpreting artifacts, documents, art objects, crafts, trades, language, and material culture that reflect the history and cultural heritage of West Baton Rouge Parish and the surrounding areas for the benefit of the general public and future Generations. The West Baton Rouge Museum plans to add much-needed outdoor educational panels for the historic properties on our grounds in addition to one large artifact. Our campus is always open to the public although the historic houses are only opened by docents leading visitors on tour during our open hours. If visitors are walking around the grounds on their own, there is no interpretive information on the different historic sites, which include three cabins from a plantation in West Baton Rouge where both enslaved then later freed people lived, a plantation store, a planter’s home where enslaved people were forced to work, a sharecropper’s cabin, a juke joint, and a bus that drove African American children to segregated schools.
Center for Creative Partnerships (All Star Bowling Lanes)
“Education and Interpretation thru AR and VR”
(www.centerforcreativepartnerships.org)
Orangeburg, SC
Center for Creative Partnerships (CCP) is an educational organization of Conscience and Social Justice that promotes community involvement through the arts and humanities, including civil and human rights. The organization’s principal goals are to restore and maintain the long-term viability of historical, cultural and community icons; create open forums for community dialogue; present historic and artistic exhibitions; serve as a catalyst for tourism through the redevelopment of downtown. The effort supported by this grant will form the basis for creating a virtual tour of the initial Civil Rights Trail which can be experienced via the CCP website and associated social media sites. Given the current political and economic climate, it will enable us to provide both virtual trail and augmented reality experiences while seeking financial support for additional physical CR trail signs. QR codes will be incorporated in Orangeburg’s prototype Civil Rights Trail markers, with support links to amplifying online materials and an on-the-ground AR experience via users’ cell phones.
Your Legacy Tours (Greenwood Seneca Foundation, Inc.)
“Eradicating Erasure: Accessing Black History through Your Legacy Tours”
(www.greenwoodseneca.com/foundation)
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
The Greenwood Seneca Foundation, through Your Legacy Tours (YLT), is committed to reimagining the Black visitor experience at historical sites of enslavement by reclaiming joy and honor while fostering community connections, educational opportunities, and a deep sense of cultural pride. By emphasizing resilience, agency, and cultural survival, YLT creates spaces where visitors, especially descendants of the enslaved, can learn about their history through a lens of empowerment, joy, and Honor. This project seeks to expand the reach of Your Legacy Tours by adding at least two new historical sites that want to tell the true story of Black history but currently lack the capacity and resources to do so effectively. Target sites would include those who desire to tell the full history but lack the support in the current climate to do so, and the inclusion of a YLT audit will allow for a more authentic, community-driven interpretation of Black history. These sites will become part of a broader network of cultural spaces committed to delivering truthful and empowering experiences about the impact of enslavement, the resilience of Black ancestors, and the ongoing importance of preserving their legacies. The program will help these sites not only reconnect with Black visitors but also empower the local Black communities to engage with their history in a dignified way.
Evansville African American Museum
“LIVY/EVV mobile app”
Evansville, IN
The Evansville African American Museum mission is develop a resource and cultural center to collect, preserve, and educate the public on the history and traditions of African American families, organizations, and communities. Livy is a project created to help locals understand the history around them. Its intuitive filter feature helps each user find stories that match their interests—whether they are passionate about civil rights milestones, immigrant entrepreneurship, or the evolution of neighborhood traditions. Once users are drawn in by familiar topics, they can branch out and uncover tales they never imagined existed. During our beta testing phases, we gathered feedback from a diverse group of users spanning multiple age demographics. One recurring request was faster load times for articles and a desire for more content. To meet this need, we plan to migrate Livy’s backend to a high-performance server platform that will deliver information quickly. We will also deploy advanced AI research tools to help our content team curate and verify historical entries at an accelerated pace, ensuring both accuracy and speed. We are passionate about forging stronger connections within Evansville. With grant support, we will expand our content library to include new entries focusing on underrepresented themes such as the establishment of the city, growth of the culture of the different districts, and grassroots political movements.
Mississippi Heritage Trust (Riverside Hotel African American Historic Preservation Center)
“Preserving the Oral History of the Riverside Hotel and its founder Mrs. Z.L. Hill”
Cleveland, MS
Riverside Hotel African American Historic Preservation Center is a nonprofit that supports the preservation of historical and cultural sites within the Mississippi Delta and beyond. Its primary goals are to sustain and preserve the Riverside Hotel organization and building structure; to increase awareness of the Riverside Hotel historical and cultural significance; and to foster community outreach programs contribution to preservation of African American Civil Rights and American music history. Based on our previous experience, we believe the next round of oral interviews needs to be conducted at a more grass roots level by someone who is more closely connected to the Black community and located within closer proximity to Clarksdale to reduce the travel cost burden.
National Alliance of Faith and Justice
“Educational Mobile App for Run Richmond 16.19”
Stafford, VA
The National Alliance of Faith and Justice is a nonprofit association that harnesses the power of faith, justice, history, and service to create a more equitable and compassionate society. The Djimon Hounsou Foundation strengthens Africa’s intergenerational identity by reconnecting the peoples of the African diaspora with their
history, roots & culture. The National Alliance of Faith and Justice, an approved member of the African American Civil Rights Network, is partnering with the Djimon Hounsou Foundation to enhance an educational mobile app that preserves and interprets Black history in Richmond, Virginia. The mobile app is part of Run Richmond 16.19, a cultural run-or-walk event that guides participants through over 400 years of Black history via two routes. As people navigate through these courses, they are transported back in time to experience the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the Civil War, the Jim Crow Era, the Civil Rights Movement, and present-day reflections on Black history & culture. These itineraries have been developed in close collaboration with the Black History Museum of Virginia. The updated app, slated for release in 2026, will serve as an outdoor museum guide.
Association for the Study of African American Life and History
“Interpreting Legacy: Training Docents at the Carter G. Woodson National Historic Site”
Washington, DC
The mission of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH®) is to promote, research, preserve, interpret and disseminate information about Black life, history and culture to the global Community. Train six community docents over six months to support public interpretation at three historic sites in Washington, D.C.: the Carter G. Woodson Home, the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House, and the Frederick Douglass NHS. Activities include recruitment with an application process, 40 hours of interpretive training by NPS staff, and a three-month
mentorship. Training will be held at two of three parks within National Capital Parks-East, the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House and the Frederick Douglass NHS. The project culminates in a public presentation event where each docent shares insights from their experiences.
Stagville Descendants Council
“SDC Conference & Reunion”
Durham, NC
The Stagville Descendants Council (SDC) is dedicated to preserving the legacy of those enslaved at Stagville Plantation by advocating for racial justice, historical truth, and community empowerment. SDC fosters education, research, and cultural programs that uplift descendant voices, promote equity, and support initiatives like scholarships, financial literacy, and land restoration. Through partnerships and outreach, SDC ensures that the past informs a just and inclusive future. The Stagville Descendants’ Council Conference & Reunion unites descendants from across the United States and the Caribbean to honor our shared heritage, strengthen community ties, and advance our mission of historic preservation, education, and advocacy. This gathering fosters
intergenerational dialogue, historical research, and cultural exchange while addressing racial justice and economic empowerment issues. We aim to inspire collaboration and uplift descendant communities through workshops, genealogy sessions, and strategic partnerships. This event is a cornerstone for sustaining our legacy, ensuring historical truth, and building a future rooted in justice and equity.
Dickerson Center for Civic Responsibility, Inc. (An Unbroken Spirit: The Life of Reverend Horace L. Dickerson)
“Cinematic Legacies: Preserving African American History Through Oral Storytelling”
(www.dickersonciviccenter.org)
DeSoto, TX
The Dickerson Center for Civic Responsibility empowers youth and communities through civic education, historical preservation, and cultural storytelling. Rooted in the legacy of African American resilience, we amplify underrepresented voices and inspire active, informed participation in democracy through innovative programs, digital media, and community Engagement. This project will produce a 20-minute documentary short capturing the oral history of Mrs. Kathryn Mitchell, a 103-year-old retired educator who was among the first African American teachers to help desegregate the Dallas Independent School District. As a follow-up to our previously premiered film An Unbroken Spirit, this new documentary will deepen our collection of African American narratives that illuminate past struggles and inspire present-day civic engagement.
Filmed in September 2025, this project will also include a 15-minute student Q&A segment, educational companion materials, and distribution to local schools, after-school programs, libraries, and cultural institutions. This intergenerational initiative aims to foster empathy, civic responsibility, and historical awareness among young people.
Samuel D Outlaw Blacksmith Shop Memorial Museum
“The Outlaw Legacy Project: Honoring Black Craftsmanship, Trades, and Civil Rights Heritage”
(https://www.outlawblacksmithshop.com)
Onancock, VA
Samuel D. Outlaw Blacksmith Shop Memorial Museum honors Samuel D. Outlaw—one of Virginia’s first licensed Black blacksmiths and wheelwrights—who operated his shop for over 50 years, providing essential services to residents of Onancock and Virginia’s Eastern Shore during the height of segregation. The Museum preserves this rare site of Black enterprise and civic leadership, advancing education and cultural history tied to African American resilience and the long struggle for civil rights.This project focuses on strengthening interpretive capacity and public access at the Samuel D. Outlaw Blacksmith Shop Memorial Museum. Grant funds will support recruitment and training of two local docents and partially fund the museum director’s role in overseeing educational programming and daily operations. Deliverables include a visitor orientation video and a revamped website that features updated interpretive content, improved accessibility, and integrated educational tools. These elements will enhance visitor experience and deepen engagement with African American civil rights history through the lens of skilled Black tradespeople. Excluded are physical infrastructure or capital repairs. This scope ensures the museum is better positioned to serve as a year-round community resource and attract long-term partners, advancing both civil rights storytelling and sustainability goals.