 Black churches have a story to tell. They all have a story to tell that's connected to the history of this country and connected to the resilience of African Americans in this country. The organization came in the church because the church was the only voice that African Americans had. The church was the only place that they could go, so they used that vehicle to strategize, to organize, and to make sure that their voices were heard. And the best way to get those stories told is by preserving these churches. Street Baptist Church was really founded in 1873, two years after Birmingham was founded. It became the central location for the Black community to come together, to organize, and to move this Black community forward. And a church was built there with a tall steeple. In fact, it was the first brick edifice that was really built in the downtown area of Birmingham for worship. It was almost like how dare this colored church to build this beautiful edifice on 16th Street and 6th Avenue North. The incident that most people really know about is September 15, 1963, when a bomb was planted on the eastern side of the church, just under some steps that used to go up to the second floor that were on the outside. There were girls in the bathroom getting ready for the morning service, and it went off and really killed four of the girls. The fifth survivor is still living today. The community really was horrified, and not only was the community horrified, the whole nation was horrified. After the destruction, the lesson that Sunday morning was a love that forgives. And so people had to move to the point of loving, forgiving, and caring in order for them to survive. And that's what happened in this community, for this community to survive. The historical significance of Brown Chapel AME Church is the event that happened in March 7th, 1965, where African-Americans who were frustrated with the disenfranchisement of the voting got together as a protest March. They left the pews of this church, marched down the steps to the streets, and marched to the Edmund Pettus Bridge and attempted to march to Montgomery. They were beaten back by law enforcement officers. Many of them came back to the church, bloody, became known as Bloody Sunday. It was a significant event that led to the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The preservation challenge over time, I think it is water damage. This church has over 114 years been here, standing up against tropical storms and all kinds of damage that results of it. And it's causing wear and tear. And consequently, the church has come to a point where it's just in a major need of renovation. My name is Brent Legs. I'm the Executive Director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and a Senior Vice President at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The mission of the Action Fund is to make an important and lasting contribution to the American landscape by preserving sites of Black activism, achievement, community and beyond. We harness the power, place and historic preservation to expand the American story and to center Blackness at the core of our democracy. Over the last over years, we had worked directly with several Black churches and we started to see a lot of similar issues. Aging congregations on fixed income, so insufficient funding. A lot of deferred maintenance in their historic buildings. Major issues like water infiltration, environmental issues like moe contamination. But most importantly, these historic places that sit at the center of community weren't being celebrated, resourced or recognized for their important contribution. So we wanted to respond to these ongoing threats. As a nation, we want to inspire activism around Black churches so that they have money, the investment and the support to stand in their fullest glory. African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is that it's really providing resources and training for these Black churches. Where we have seen our churches as just places to come to worship on Sunday mornings. The Action Fund has really moved us to the point to realize that we have a larger mission. That we have a larger goal. It's just so critical in this day and time that we save our history. That we tell our stories. That we make way for the new generation where they can understand what happened years ago. That we don't want them to repeat the history. We want them to build on the history that make this world a better place. The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is here to walk alongside you to tell the full history of our nation. We want to ensure that our nation understands that all Americans should begin to see themselves and their history and their potential in the historic African American places that surround them.