Millions for Church Preservation

At the very center of meaningful progress on civil rights and reform in America, the Black Church remains an institution with unmatched historical and cultural significance. In his book, The Black Church, Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. writes, “No pillar of the African American community has been more central to its history, identity, and social justice vision than the ‘Black Church.’”
To honor and protect this legacy, the National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund (AACHAF) has invested $4 million in grants to 35 historic Black churches that represent the institution’s impact on American society. This Action Fund gift—its largest to date—helps ensure that historic Black churches across the country continue to drive change in our society.
The Positive Community, with our mission to disseminate “Good News from the Church and the Community” through our various platforms, keeps the local community aware of the important role the Black Church continues to play.
“Despite the central role these historic houses of worship play in the fabric of Black communities,” Brent Leggs, executive director of AACHAF, explained, “they face a myriad of challenges. Their preservation—like that of all Black heritage sites—has often been overlooked and vastly underfunded.” Leggs recently announced the receipt of a $20 million grant from the Lilly Endowment to launch the Preserving Black Churches Project, “So they can continue to serve as the epicenters of Black communities and American heritage.”
The first round of the grant program enables recipients to not only address real and urgent preservation threats such as deferred maintenance and demolition, but also strengthens their ability to steward, interpret, and fund these invaluable places and the people they serve.

Local Churches Receiving Grants

One of the churches to receive a grant is Mother AME Zion Church at 140 W 137th St. in Harlem. With congregations dating back to 1774—operating today in a building designed by African American architect George Washington Foster Jr.—Mother AME Zion is a center of community activity. The AME Zion conference was referred to nationally as the “Freedom Church” for its vital role in the United States abolitionist movement, and as an Underground Railroad refuge. This grant will seed investment for a new endowment to help the church congregation set a more sustainable funding model for the future preservation of its landmark.
Historic Varick Memorial AME Zion Church at 806 Quincy St., the oldest continuous Black congregation in Brooklyn, boasts more than two centuries of history, impact, and heritage; yet the building has been uninhabitable since 2020. This grant will support critical restoration for the building’s envelope, making it accessible once more to the active congregation and helping the church revive its high-impact community programs.

The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and works in partnership with the Ford Foundation, the JPB Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and others to make an important and lasting contribution to our nation’s cultural landscape by elevating the stories and places of African American achievement and activism.
The Lilly Endowment was founded in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. for the “promotion and support of religious, educational or charitable purposes.” Throughout its history, the Endowment has sought to nurture the human spirit, intellect, and character. Visit https://lillyendowment.org/

Kean University Shares ‘Strength in Numbers’ at Mid-Year Convocation

Pledging to “dig deeper, reach higher and recommit” to ensure success for all students, Kean University President Lamont O. Repollet, ...

Dr. Butts Receives Honorary Doctorate from Morehouse

Originally appeared in The Positive Community April 2011 Issue On March 2, 2011 Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, president of ...

New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus Foundation Announces Senator Ron Rice Endowed Scholarship

At a tribute gala, the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus Foundation, the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus, and Rutgers University ...

ECC Community Education Forum Alfred Bundy with Jennifer Wager, Kedegia Williams and Michael Isaac

In this episode of Essex County College’s Community Education Forum, host Alfred Bundy speaks with guests Professor Jennifer Wager, student ...

Morehouse College: Makes Men of Consequence

By Fern Gillespie A “Morehouse Man” is a brand. Since its establishment in 1867, the HBCU has garnered a reputation ...

“What America Must Become”

Rev. Dr. Cornell Edmonds Esq. is Interim Pastor of The Church of the Covenant, E. 42nd St NYC (around the ...

Unfair Unjust – The Devastation Caused by Withdrawn Resources and The Effects on Black Communities

An Open Letter to Nike and Adidas by John E. Harmon Sr., African American Chamber ...

“Boom” Where You’re Planted

Sonja D. Gracy, author, playwright, and NYC public school teacher is currently working on her ...

Big Business Must Stop Taking Big Tobacco Money

By Dr. Phillip Gardiner It’s hard to believe that with the amount of damage that ...

Q&A with JPMorgan Chase’s Jason Patton

In celebration of Black History Month, we sat down with Jason Patton at JPMorgan Chase ...

Forging a Path to Achieve an
Equitable Clean Energy Future

Rudy Wynter,President, National Grid New York Climate change is an existential threat to our planet ...

Living Through Black History

BY R.L. WITTER I am old enough to have used landline phones, tube TVs with ...

The Kings and Queens Singles Holiday Soiree

An exclusive soiree for single kings and queens brought together eligible bachelors and bachelorettes from across the tri-state area for ...
Read More

Mayor Ras J. Baraka Statement on the Passing of Former State Senator Ronald Rice

“All of Newark is saddened to learn of the passing of former State Senator, Deputy Mayor, and Municipal Council Member ...
Read More

Essex County Executive Sworn Into Sixth Term

Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. was sworn into his sixth term as Essex County Executive by NJ State and Essex County ...
Read More

Bits and Pieces

current news + topics Collected by Leslie Nash Mama, I Want To Sing! Returns to Harlem A 40th Anniversary production ...
Read More

Melba Moore at First Zion Hill Baptist Church

On Sunday, January 8, 2023, First Lady Tammy and Pastor Dellroger Dunmore of First Zion Hill Baptist Church in Newark, ...
Read More

Lenox Road Baptist Church Triple Jubilee

On December 23, 1975, a fire totally destroyed Brooklyn’s Lenox Road Baptist Church. The church’s remarkable 150 -year history dates ...
Read More

Recipe for Fun at Crossroads

An exuberant opening night audience showed their enjoyment of Chicken & Biscuits—not the ones your grandma used to make—the uproarious ...
Read More

Community Cultural Holiday Festival at Old First Church

The African Heritage Festival Community Conversation Committee gathered to celebrate African heritage with a Community Cultural Holiday Festival at Old ...
Read More

UMBC Celebrates Decade of Service

The United Missionary Baptist Convention of New Jersey, Inc. (UMBC) celebrated its 10th anniversary on December 10, 2022 with the ...
Read More

The Great Debate: Cardio vs. Strength Training

We know that exercise is good for the heart. But what is most beneficial for ...

Matters of the Heart

How women can help prevent heart disease at any age. Heart disease is the number ...

Celebrating Extraordinary Women in Medicine and Science

On Saturday, November 12, 2022, The Williams Forum for Diabetic Education and Healthcare (a 501C3) ...

The National Black Church Initiative Launches its Responsible Drinking Campaign in Harlem

Members of the National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) from the New York area joined NBCI ...

RWJUH New Brunswick Hosts Health Equity Symposium

In order to understand and address health disparities in the diverse communities we serve, RWJUH ...

Young Athletes and Heart Health

By Matthew Montgomery, DO, MPH, MBA, Interventional Heart Failure Cardiologist, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, ...