Today, the next steps were taken in front of civil rights icon Amelia Boynton’s home in Selma as funds slated to help with renovating and restoring the home were given in the form of a grant.

The National Park Service (NPS) through its Historic Preservation Fund granted $500,000 to Brown Chapel and Gateway Education Foundation for the rehabilitation of the home through its African American Civil Rights Preservation Grant program.

According to Brown Chapel AME Church Pastor Leodis Strong, the project is to renovate and rehabilitate the historic home, which carries a great deal of importance for our community.

It is important not only for the Civil Rights Movement but the house itself, which is a 1920 Craftman’s-style bungalow, a rare survivor of middle-class African American life during the first half of the twentieth century.

This home is valuable in so many ways and the steps taken today are ones that will ensure the preservation of the home for years to come.