Preserving the Legacy of West Virginia's Historic African American Schools

Adrienne Thompson,* Jennifer Thornton and Jamie Billman, Department of History, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506

Field (Broad Category): Public History (Human Engagement) 

Student’s Major: History 

The presence of African American philanthropy, activism, and education throughout West Virginia's past is generally omitted from public knowledge and often neglected from modern textbooks. Historical African American schools, in particular, served as cultural hubs for African American communities who used the buildings for both free education following the Emancipation Proclamation and as widely accessible community centers, workshops, and focal points for extracurricular activities. After the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case of 1954, which deemed racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, many former African American schools were either demolished entirely or left to decompose and crumble over time. Our research has outlined and identified hundreds of historic black schools that, if given proper funding and maintenance through organizations like the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places, could be refurbished and rehabilitated into functioning structures. By visiting these buildings, recording their physical conditions, and capturing oral histories from former students, we're also simultaneously working toward preserving the legacy of West Virginia's historic African American schools. 

Funding: Pedagogy Innovation Grant, Community Engagement Grant 

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: WVU's Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) & accompanying HONR 297-level course