 Hello, everyone. Welcome back to the forum webinar series. I'm Colleen Danes, and I'll be administering the webinar today. In case you don't know, Preservation Leadership Forum is a professional membership program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and this webinar series is made possible by our many members of forum, and we sincerely thank those of you who are with us today. Today's webinar is focused on the multi-year project to recognize the Brown versus Board of Education site. Today you will hear directly from the sites about the past and future of these significant places and learn how to advocate for passage of the new legislation. Before we begin, I just have a few technical things to talk about. If you would like to share what you're hearing today, there are a couple of options. You can download a PDF of today's slides directly from the header marked handouts on your right-hand nav bar, the control panel. We will also be sending out a recording of today's webinar directly to the email that you used to register for this webinar. And finally, all of our webinars are archived in our forum webinar library, and we will share this address at the end of our presentation so you can download those. In addition, we will have some time towards the end for questions, so if you have some, you will see an option in the chat feature to send questions to staff, and we'll be able to compile those questions for our moderator. If you have questions during the webinar, feel free to submit any questions to the staff regarding technical issues or whatnot throughout the webinar, and we will be able to respond to you. Now I'm going to turn over our program to Leslie Cannon, Senior Field Office with the officer with the National Trust for Historic Presentation. Leslie. Thank you, Colleen, and thank you all for joining us for this important webinar about Brown v. Board. Just to get us started. The National Trust for Historic Preservation was invited by Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina to explore telling the full story of the Brown v. Board of Education case. The current story is known by most for the National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas, and the story associated with that. The story and site in Topeka, Topeka, Kansas represents one of the most important events in our history, but what is missing, however, are the portfolio cases that helped Brown v. Board happen. The Briggs v. Elliott in South Carolina, Vila and Belton v. Gephardt in Delaware, Bowling v. Sharp in Washington, D.C., and Davis v. Prince Edward County in Virginia. Only by understanding those cases, stories, and communities can we fully understand the Brown v. Board of Education case. Over the last two years, Kendra Parson, Pam Bowman, and I have been working with Senate and congressional offices. We've visited all the sites and their stewards, and we've talked to community members about their local cases. And while there are numerous sites that can be associated with the Brown v. Board case, we are focusing on the schools most associated with local cases that are pictured in the next slide. Sorry, next slide. So here are just some pictures of all the schools that we've been working with over the last couple years. And so on September 18, we held a virtual launch through Zoom. That was headlined by Majority Whip James Clyburn, Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, and Catherine Malone France, the chief preservation officer of the National Trust. At that launch, we announced the introduction of legislation that will help us broaden our understanding with Brown v. Board. A little bit later, Pam Bowman will give you more specifics about that legislation. But what we're going to focus on first are those sites. Next slide. So just to give you an idea of how the webinar will be set up, we're doing the introduction now. Next will be site presentations. Then there'll be a question and answer with the site. So if you do have questions, please put them in the question chat and we'll be able to answer them at that portion. Then as I mentioned, Pam Bowman will be explaining in detail the legislation related to these cases. And Kendra Parson will be talking about how you can help us advocate on behalf of this legislation. We will then have a question and answer regarding the legislation, and then we will wrap up. And so let's get, let's start, officially start the webinar with Summerton, South Carolina, where we will hear from B Rivers, who is a community activist. Miss Rivers. Miss Rivers, are you there? While we wait, she might be having some technical difficulty. So perhaps while we're waiting to be able to get her on the line, perhaps we can move on to Cameron Patterson. I'm sorry that I apologize. The next person is actually the superintendent of Newcastle County Delaware, Dr. Joseph Jones, my apologies. Thank you Leslie. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Joseph Jones, Superintendent of Newcastle County Votek School District. I'm here in Wilmington, Delaware. If we could advance to the next slide. On behalf of Howard High School of Technology and the Newcastle County Votek School District, I'm truly grateful that our school has the opportunity and honor to be included as an affiliated school of the Brown v. Board National Historic Site. By telling the full story of the combined cases that led to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court's decision to end school segregation, we uncover the true struggle of our nation's civil rights journey, community by community. Next slide. Howard High School may have earned notoriety as the all black high school cited in the Belton v. Gibhart case that was combined with other cases in the 1954 Brown v. Board. But Howard has rightfully earned its place in our nation's civil rights history for more than 150 years. Howard High School, which opened in 1867 at 12th and Orange Streets in Wilmington, Howard or rather back then public school number 16 was the first school for black children in the community. In 1869, number 16 was named for Civil War General Oliver Otis Howard, a national leader in the work of the Freedman's Bureau. And Howard soon became the only institution in the four state area of Delaware, Northeastern Maryland, South Southern Jersey, and South Eastern Pennsylvania to offer a complete high school education to black students. As the new building was constructed at its present location in 1927, it's here where it's continued as a high school ever since. Civil rights leader, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King gave the only public speech he made in the state of Delaware from the stage at Howard on September 12 1960. Dr. King was introduced by Louis L. Redding, the Wilmington lawyer who had argued the belt in the Gibhart case. Howard High School was awarded national historic landmark status in 2005 because of its association with the Brown v. Board decision and because of its historical significance as the state first school for black children. Next slide. So everyone can appreciate what an educational treasure Howard has been in the past and continues to this day be for our community. The school remained a vibrant comprehensive city high school until 1972, when a building expansion double the school size and it embraced its vocational technical mission. Let me first return to the original Belton v. Gibhart case. Next slide. In Belton, parents of black children who were boss to Howard sued the state board of education after denied a request for them to attend the all white Claymont High School, which was closer to their homes. There were 12 students who were part of that case and in our opinion, where we honor them as being Delaware civil rights pioneers. Every bit of the courageous is Linda Brown in the peak of Kansas. A few of these pioneers are still living and we hope to incorporate their stories in our site experience at Howard. Next slide. Please take a look at Howard today. A modern comprehensive technical high school where 850 students are not only their high school diplomas, but industry recognized certifications in one of 13 different career programs of study. Leslie, is it possible to play the video? Thank you, Leslie. We are very eager for this legislation to be approved and to getting started with developing a site plan for visitors. Thank you for having us here today. Thank you, Superintendent Jones. And now we will have Allison David, who is the CEO of the Claymont Community Center. Everyone, thank you Leslie. It's such a pleasure to join everyone for this webinar. We're absolutely thrilled to be part of this effort to tell the complete story of integration. Next slide, please. Claymont High School was built in Claymont, Delaware in 1924. Its story of integration is truly an example of the community working together to integrate legally. The local Claymont Board of Education approached African American parents about integration. Both sides knew that this would be a really tough legal battle, but the parents bravely decided to move forward. Next slide, please. In 1951, Lewis Redding and an African American attorney in Delaware filed a lawsuit on behalf of eight African American students seeking admission to Claymont High School. In April of 1952, the Delaware Supreme Court upheld a ruling by Delaware Chancellor Colin Seitz declaring that separate schools were not equal and should be integrated. Seitz was the first judge to rule for immediate integration in a public school. Claymont High School prepared to admit 12 African American students on September 4th, 1952, having received verbal permission to do so the night before. Because the State Board of Education did not give written permission, Claymont was told to send the children home on the second day of school, and they defied that direction. While it wasn't perfect, the integration in Claymont was peaceful and remains an important part of our story in Delaware. We are very proud to be one of the cases cited in Brown versus the Board of Education. Next slide, please. The Claymont High School is now home to the Claymont Community Center, a non-profit anchor in the community that's been here for 45 years. We think it's extremely special to note that one of our founding members, Baker Trion, was on the school board at the time and was instrumental in the school's integration. Our mission is to enhance the community by addressing the human needs of wellness, belongingness, and esteem. We provide educational, recreational, and social support to people of all ages. We are eager to be part of this larger conversation to recognize the contribution that Claymont High School and the other sites made to end separate but equal education. We work now with the community to push for full equity for all Americans. Thank you. Thank you, Allison. And next, we're going to have David Wilk, who's the board chair and professor of Temple Fox School of Business for a Ho Kesson colored school number 107. Good morning, everyone. It's such a pleasure to be here and we are so excited to be part of the Brown versus Board of Education National Park Service affiliate sites. So thank you to Leslie and everyone at the National Trust for Historic Preservation for this honor. I'm David Wilk. I'm chair of the board of a nonprofit charity known as Friends of Ho Kesson colored school number 107. Could you please advance the slide? This is a picture of our actual school and property as it exists today. And it is a about 2200 square foot property on about five acres of land in a beautiful part of the state of Delaware. Next slide, please. Our team, one of the most unique things about the Ho Kesson colored school number 107 is one of our board members is the honorable CJ sites who is chief justice of the Delaware Supreme Court. And as incredible as this is on April 1 of 1952 CJ's father, Delaware Chancellor College J sites issued the decision declaring that disparity between the all white and African American schools was in violation of the Constitution. This ruling was appealed all the way to the Supreme Court where it was upheld and became part of Brown versus Board of Education. So it really has an incredible connection with what's happening today. And here are some of our other esteemed board members as well. Next slide, please. These are just some great pictures are overall theme really comes from the inspiration of an Emma Lazarus quote, until we are all free, we are none of us free. And if you look at the picture on the left, you can see that Lewis L. Reading, who was the first African American attorney in the state of Delaware, and also the first African American to attend Harvard Law School. This is Robert Carter, this is Oliver Hill, and this is Thurgood Marshall, and Spotswood Robinson, all of whom were involved in the cases that ultimately led to Brown versus Board of Education. Here in Delaware, we're very fortunate that we have Shirley Bula, who was the basis for the case in the Ho Kesson School, and then Louise Ethel Louise Belton from Howard and also Claymont. And the most interesting thing about Shirley Bula's history is the only thing that Shirley's parents wanted was for a bus to pick her up and take her to the black school on the way to dropping off all of the white children at the white school. And the state of Delaware refused to do that. And the Bulas were not looking to be the ones who brought down segregation in schools, but because they hired Lewis Reading to represent them this led all the way to being a folded into Brown versus Board of Education and ultimately leading to desegregation of schools. So it's pretty amazing it could start with an innocent inquiry and some great archives. Next slide please. The most awe inspiring part to me and all of our members of our volunteer board is that we still have the blessing of having living students who went to the Ho Kesson School still alive here to tell their story. And so this is Leroy Peterson who was there in the late 40s, Sonny Knot who's 90 years old and was there from 1937 to 1944. This is Sonny's sister Charlotte who went there. This is Robert Berry and this is Blanche Tucker. And this is our Newcastle County executive, Matt Meyer. So we have a lot of videos and we're spending a lot of time capturing the memories of the students who actually went to the school which is just beyond amazing to us. Next slide please. The future of the school. It wasn't enough for our board to really say, well we're going to memorialize this place and turn it into a museum commemorating the history. Similar to what they've done with the Claimant Community Center and also an amazing job that has been done with the Howard High School of Technology. We have decided to and have entered into an agreement with Newcastle County to turn the historic Ho Kesson Colored School into a center for diversity, training, inclusion and social equity. And we are working with obviously the thrill of being able to be included in the National Park Service but we've got a lot of great stakeholders that are partnering with us in this process. Next slide please. There's so much gratitude from all of us to the National Trust, Representative Clybourne, Senator Coons, Senator Carper, Lisa Blunt Rochester, our Chief Justice, Dr. Tony Allen, and County Executive, Matthew Meyer. This is a picture of all of the students and all of many of the folks that are in this mention at the signing ceremony for the MOU between our friends group and the county for the Diversity and Inclusion Center that just happened on August 10th of this year. And so would you please run the video please. Newcastle County Executive Matt Meyer honored to be here with several students, two alums of the Ho Kesson Colored School. In Newcastle County today we are reckoning with issues of justice, issues of how to govern and how to have communities that are fair to everyone for the present and the future. In order to do that we first must understand our past. We have to understand tremendous horrific injustices that happen not just in our country, not just in our state but right here in Ho Kesson in Newcastle County. And that's why we're so excited to potentially partner with the federal government to preserve places like this that enable us to educate everyone in the community, this generation and future generations so we can understand the past and build a better future. Great, thank you. Students, we are so fortunate. I'm David Wilk in the background, chairman of the Friends of Ho Kesson School. We are so fortunate to have four of the students that actually went to the school in the 30s and 40s. And so may, would you all just introduce yourselves please? Start with Sonny. My name is James Sonny Knot. My name is Robert S. Berry. My name is Blanche M. Tupper. Great. Oh, and we have one more. Come on in Leroy. And we have one more addition which is Leroy. Leroy, introduce yourself please. My name is Leroy Peterson. I went to the school back in 1946. That's great. And we, on behalf of the Friends and on behalf of the county, we just all want to say an incredible thank you to Senator Coons and Representative Clyburn for taking the time and having the passion to include the Ho Kesson School in our national park system in the future. Yeah, thank you. So it takes leadership. I know that nothing happens unless individuals make it a priority to make it happen. And Senator Coons, Representative Clyburn, your leadership, it is national leadership. There are communities just like us here. There are students just like these students, alums all over the country who I think are extremely humbled by your leadership. And we're excited to partner with you to preserve the history of this tremendous community institution for generations to come. Thank you very much. And to the students, it is good. And now we just want to let you know from all of us, it gives us chills and goosebumps to think that we have the ability to memorialize this place with all of you because it's such an important part of your life. It is such a gift for all of us to be able to share your experiences and our plan is to have lots of videos and lots of interviews and lots of capturing your memories of what it was like to go to school here. And that'll be all a part of what we do in the future when we renovate and reimagine this place. And as Dr. Blackwell, one of our new board members said, this is hallowed ground, and we want to make sure that it's preserved for future generations. Thank you. Thank you all very much. Thank you, Mr. Wilk. Now, we'll hear from Cameron Patterson, who's the executive director of Robert Rosa Moten Museum. Good morning. I'm grateful for the opportunity to share on behalf of the museum and on behalf of our community. If you could advance the slide. It was here at this site, the former Robert Rosa Moten High School, which is now the Robert Rosa Moten Museum and a national historic landmark that nearly 70 years ago, students walked out of school and into history. And our focus is sharing Prince Edward County's story, one in which children play a significant role. In 1951, the Moten student strike launched a 13 year court battle to achieve educational equality. Davis versus County School Board of Prince Edward County was the only student initiated case of the five that comprise Brown v. Board of Education. At the local level, Prince Edward County was the only county in the nation to close its public schools for five years between 1959 and 1964, rather than desegregate. And it would take a subsequent court case in Griffin versus County School Board of Prince Edward for the Supreme Court to intervene and reopen schools. We know that the Prince Edward story and the story of our communities involved in Brown v. Board teaches us how everyday citizens can make extraordinary change. And these citizens use the tools of a constitutional democracy to bring forth that change. Again, this story is one in which students play a significant role. And to understand the Davis case and our community's involvement in Brown v. Board, we must first mention how things got started. It was a committee of students led by 16 year old Barbara Johns that planned the student walkout that took place here at Robert Russell Milton High School on the 23rd of April 1951. Johns recounted the inadequate school conditions and encouraged her fellow classmates to walk out of school in protest until county officials agreed to build a new school. After connecting with leaders from the NAACP's legal team, Oliver Hill and Spotsworth Robinson, those gentlemen agreed to take the students case, thus beginning what we know as Davis versus County School Board of Prince Edward. The lawyers agreed to take that case under two conditions. First, the students must gain the support of their parents and the support of the community. And additionally, students must be willing to have challenged the constitutionality of segregation, which they would ultimately end up doing. We see from the photo to the left of mass meeting that took place in May of 1951 where the community came together to offer its support to the students as we began to move forward with the legal efforts. And the photo to the right is a photo of plaintiffs involved in Davis versus County School Board of Prince Edward, which would become one of the five that make up Brown v. Board of Education. These are the faces of individuals whose courage and sacrifice helped to change the nation. Prince Edward County represented nearly 70% of the plaintiffs that would be involved in Brown v. Board of Education. Advanced slide. Following the period in which Virginia enters known as massive resistance, Prince Edward County stood alone facing a court order to desegregate schools in September of 1959. And it was at this time that County leaders, our local Board of Supervisors, the governing body refused to fund the schools effectively closing them. And the NAACP would challenge the closing of schools in Griffith versus County School Board of Prince Edward. And it would reopen public schools here in Prince Edward. This is certainly an impact that we still feel today within our community. We're proud that here at this site, that it was local citizens led by the Martha E. Forster Council for Women, Advanced Slide, that worked to mobilize to purchase the Milton School building from the county. They succeeded in designating the school a national historic landmark and ensuring that it was placed on Virginia's landmark register. We're proud that we've been able to open this museum in 2001, where next year we will celebrate our 20th anniversary of being open to the public. And we're grateful that through our permanent exhibit, Milton School Story, Children of Courage, that we are able to share of the courage and sacrifice of Prince Edward citizens, that we're able to share of the broader context of Brown the Board of Education, and that we're able to tell the story of those who were locked out of schools between 1959 and 1964. We're proud to join with communities involved in Brown as we seek affiliation with the National Park Service, because we believe in the importance for our collective ability to share this history, because we know that it strengthens us all. Thank you. Thank you, Cameron. Now, we were not able to have a panelist from Susan Middle School, but we will now watch a video that they sent. 1954 represents global awareness. 1954 represents choice and catalysts. 1954 represents strength, passion, revolution, breaking barriers. 1954 represents freedom as a group. 1954 represents power, persistence. 1954 represents success, solidarity, history, humanity, resiliency. 1954, we fought. In 2020, we fight. And we'll keep on doing so until every black and brown child has the power to create the life and the choice that they were born into this world to do. So we honor the legacy of our ancestors. We honor every single parent and caregiver and community member who joins us in this academic and intellectual and mental fight. So join Sousa in this fight. Join Sousa in this protest. Join Sousa in making sure that every single black and brown child gets, deserves, and has access to high quality education. Teachers who love them, a community full of resources, and just a good life to see them as children, to see them as those who are empowered to live the life that their ancestors died. Walked, marched, and fought for. We are Sousa. Thank you to Sousa for sending us that great video. I'm going to try to circle back and see if the rivers was able to get back online. Are you ready for me? Can you hear me? Yes, in this room, we can hear you. You can hear me, okay. So you're ready for me to start now? Yes, Miss Rivers, we are ready. All right. I was, I like to start by thanking you all for doing this. I think this is a great thing. And I think Summerton is deserving of having this dishonor. And I would like to start with the origins of Briggs versus Elliott. The first lawsuit to reach the United States Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of school segregation originated in Clarendon County, South Carolina. Even though the case became Brown versus the board, Briggs versus Elliott provided the basis for most of the evidence and arguments used in Supreme Court trial. It had not been for some poor people in Clarendon County, racial segregation in the United States may have continued for a longer period of time. Now I would like to start with the bus transportation case. That was the first case filed in Clarendon County and it was against the school board. The families in the Davis station area were asking for a bus transportation to get their children to high to high school because they lived eight to nine miles away from Scott's branch high school and they had to walk both ways each day. The families in Davis station, the Hammett families, Hammett Pearson, I'm sorry, Hammett Pearson and his brother Levi, they got together and they filed a lawsuit for bus transportation. And when that failed, when the county refused to do that, they asked the county, they bought a bus and they asked the county to provide gas for the transportation to and from school. The county refused to do that as well. And then the case was thrown out because they put the decisions that needed was that the Pearson's were living in one school district and paying taxes in another school district. Excuse me. So that was the people of Clarendon County had to decide how to proceed. And that's when they proceeded to Briggs versus Elliott. And then Briggs versus Elliott, Reverend DeLane was the person who led this group in that event. They were, most of the people in Clarendon County were undereducated and farmers and they had menial jobs and things like that. Many of them did own their own land. So they paid taxes and but denied everything that went along with being represented in the school district. So in January of 1949. They had to transition from the bus transportation case to the equalization case. But that's when the NAACP attorneys, along with Reverend DeLane, they asked that they have at least three months later on March of 1949. Mr. Thurgood Marshall, a lawyer for the National NAACP Legal Defense Fund met with a group from Clarendon County. And Marshall told the group that the NAACP had decided it would no longer argue cases whose only goal was to obtain bus transportation. So the Clarendon County group was not willing to let the matter drop. Too many things were wrong with our schools and their children's work. For example, Scott's Branch School in Summerton had two outdoor toilets to serve 12 grades of students and their teachers. Drinking water fountains, rural fountains on outside the school yard. There were not even enough classrooms for the students. After being urged to remain too far and reconsidered by Reverend DeLane and the six other representatives from Clarendon County. Marshall finally proposed an alternate action plan. He said that the NAACP would back a group of parents who wanted to sue for equal educational opportunities and facilities for Negro children if they could find such a group in Clarendon County. DeLane came back from the meeting with the NAACP and the group ended up being over 100 parents and students were suing for equalization of schools. This all started in May of 1949. As parents signed, they became Briggs because parents signed in alphabetical order. And the Briggs family was the first family to sign. My family, the Brown family, was the second family to sign. And as this went on, and the case was heard in the district court, the judge, J. Waring said that, why are you suing for equalization of schools when you supposedly already have that? So that's when Dr. Marshall and the other lawyers went back and decided to file for desegregation of schools. In fact, they got 20 parents from that group of parents that signed for equalization of schools. The parents who signed for desegregation of schools and they became the plaintiffs in that case. And that's when the case was the first case to go to the U.S. Supreme Court. That was the case for desegregation of schools in South Carolina. The fact that it became, it was passed through the courts and it became Brown versus the Board. And our case was one of those cases that made up Brown versus the Board. But it was by our parents standing up for us in Summit in South Carolina, very small town, very small county. They in turn stood up for every child in the United States of America. And their legacy should be one that is never forgotten. We know what it is that they, they fought for us and we should never forget what they gave up. Many of them were fired, not that all of them were fired from their jobs. They gave up everything for us. So we should be very appreciative and always honor their legacy. Thank you. Thank you so much, Ms. Rivers. We appreciate it. And so now we'll move on to the question and answer portion of this. The first question is, has the former Hoquessen White School been considered for inclusion? And I'm assuming considered for inclusion in this legislation. I'll actually answer that. And currently we actually have three schools from Delaware. So Claimonts, Hoquessen Colored School, and Howard High School. And so for now we're only considering those three schools for inclusion. Are there any other questions? So now there's a question. My main question is how this alliance broadening of the National Historic Site work. I assume, I'm sure, I'm assuming we're getting to that later. Sure. So I'm assuming that this question is related to the existing existing National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas. And so that will be explained in the legislation because as part of the legislation, there is going to be, there's proposed a change to the National Historic Site, which Pam will discuss. The next question. What is the timeline for the process? Well, you know, I'll actually have Pam get into that during the legislation because of course part of the timeline depends on if and when this legislation passes. So I actually have Pam address that question in the question and answer portion of the legislation advocacy. The next question is, can the panelists talk about any specific preservation issues currently impacting the schools? Are all of them actively used? So does each panelist want to address that? Maybe we start with Cameron. Definitely. So we've been very fortunate. So, you know, as I mentioned, there was a community group of individuals, the Marthei Forester Council that purchased the building from the county, set us on the path to being able to open our museum, which we were able to do in 2001. We were very fortunate, you know, around 2008, 2009, we began to lay out some plans regarding renovating the facility and putting our permanent exhibit in place so that we could tell the story of the county. So we were fortunate to be able to complete that process fully in 2013. So we restored the former Robert Russell Moten High School, which is now the site of the museum. We were able to take the existing classroom spaces that we have here at the museum and convert them into gallery space to help us fully tell the story. We were also fortunate from a preservation standpoint to be able to restore the site to its look and functionality from the period in which the students went on strike in 1951. So you see that reflected in the auditorium. You see that reflected in the furnishings and fixtures that were still here on site. So preservation is important and we've been very fortunate to be able to generate some strong support to be able to do that. I think what excites us moving forward is the ability to collectively collaborate with other communities as we seek to elevate this story. Thank you Cameron. I just want to do a time check we're running a little bit behind on time. So for those questions that we can't get to because this is actually going to be the last question for this particular segment. We're going to definitely get your question answered and follow up with with a post about it. So I'll move on to Allison. And again, we have about 12 minutes left and we have a few more segments. So if you could just briefly answer. Sure. Thank you. I would say, you know, the community center, the actual building was owned by the school district for up until very recently when we bought it from the school district. But over the years, we've sort of balanced the preservation of important rooms in the center, balancing that with operating programs and services here. We have a history room that was supported by Steger Triumph family financially. So we have artifacts and memorabilia from the school that we keep, you know, we keep protected. We also have WPA murals in our center. So we work to preserve those. So it's a real balancing act for us of preserving that history, but then also having a space that operates as a fully functioning community center. Thank you Allison. Dr. Jones, do you have a comment. Thank you Leslie. Yes, we are an active site and active school. I mean, obviously within COVID that's changed things a little bit, but normally we would have a about 850 students attending each day. So not preservation per se. We did just go through a robust renovation and a part of that entire architectural design was to preserve and restore elements of the original historic Howard site that building. And it was a quick video, but you did see shots of the auditorium that were originally stored to its grandeur. It's absolutely beautiful auditorium. We are looking currently to reserve some space. We would like this to be an active visiting site where people can come see the site, see the school and experience the history that it has to offer and really look to integrate also with the Claymont Community Center. So people get the full Delaware story and how it ties to Brown v. Board. So all of that is in the works and I know Allison is in agreement. So we're looking forward to moving in that direction. Thank you, Dr. Jones. David will any final comments. Just unmuted. Our story is very different. In 2012, the pocus and colored school was on the sheriff sale block, because a the previous owners of the property had entered into a renovation and expansion of the property and a quarter of the way in. They ran out of money and the contractor filed a mechanics lean on the property and so headed by Dr. Tony Allen, president of Delaware State University and the honorable Josh Martin and also judge Leonard Williams and our Chief Justice CJ sites and Dick Christopher and Fred Sears and Bill Allen, our board members and the Delaware Community Foundation. They raised money to purchase the mechanics leans and to save the property from sheriff sale and it's located in an area of Delaware. We were very attracted to residential development, and the fear was that it would be lost to development and someone would knock the school down, because they didn't have the same feeling that our board members did so we were formed for the purpose of saving the school. We worked amicably with the existing owners to gain transfer of ownership of the property in 2015, and the whole goal now is to, unfortunately, one of the back walls of the original school was demolished during the renovation process which was really unfortunate. But as far as the rest of it goes we're preserving all of the outside walls and the original brick walls but unfortunately on the inside, it's basically just shell a shell building. We're going to use the inspiration of the story of Shirley Pula and the students who you met today to create a living museum with current technology and media and and also have kind of it be besides being a place of diversity and inclusion center. It's going to be a community hub for creating innovation in education going forward so we're trying to do as many things as possible. We're in a little different stage in that we're in the beginning of the community engagement process. We're inviting the community into collaboration, including our national community of new friends that we've met today to make sure that we don't ever assume that we know how to treat the priceless history of the school and its role in Brown versus Board of Education in the best way possible. Thank you, David. And now turn it over to Pam, who will talk about the legislation. Hi everyone. Thank you Leslie and thank you to all the presenters. Your story and the history you shared was truly the inspiration for this collaborative project as we've collectively thought about ways the public can learn more about the Brown v Board of Education. Okay. First slide please. One of our starting points for this project was to take a look at the National Park System. And you'll see here on the slide that the National Park Services manages over 400 sites. And this includes everything from large landscapes, but also historic buildings and cultural assets. And you heard previously in the webinar that one of those is the National Park Services Brown v Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas. An idea was formed to enhance the portfolio of the National Park System to include additional historic places representing the other four court cases in Brown v Board. And after two years working with communities and congressional offices, on September 17th the legislation was introduced. And by and large the bill does two things. First, it expands the Topeka, Kansas site to include sites in South Carolina and would also establish NPS affiliated areas in Virginia, Delaware, and Washington DC communities. Next slide. And of the over 400 National Park Service sites, they each have a different type of designation like National Parks, National Historical Parks, or National Battlefield. And one of the lesser known designations is National Park Service affiliated areas of which there's currently 25. And these can range from an individual building to a grouping of buildings or even a large landscape. And for most of the sites that you heard from today, they opted to become a National Park Service affiliated area. There's a few advantages listed on the screen about this type of designation. And one of them being that these sites are able to retain their private ownership. You saw a lot during the webinar about the current use of these schools. Some are also a museum, and that can continue even though they become a National Park Service affiliated area. They're also able to establish management plans and cooperative agreements with the National Park Service that allow for some flexibility in how their story is told and what involvement they have with the National Park Service. Because their National Park Service is affiliated areas, it also doesn't contribute to the National Park Service deferred maintenance backlog, which you may have heard a lot in the news recently about the repair needs at the Park Service. These sites would not contribute to that, and we've heard some reasons from Capitol Hill about why that's an advantage as well. The sites are also available to receive technical and financial assistance from the National Park Service as well as federal appropriations. And these are just some of the many reasons and benefits of being affiliated with the National Park Service. In addition to that, we're better able to connect the stories of all of these cases that are part of Brown v. Board and also to deal with things like heritage tourism and the branding of the Park Service to give some more attention and allow the public to learn more about these sites. Excellent. And you'll see here a little bit about the bills on your screen. There were two bills introduced simultaneously that day, one in the House and one in the Senate. In the House, it was introduced by Representative Clyburn from South Carolina, along with original co-sponsors and supporters from each of the congressional districts representing these communities. In the Senate, the legislation was introduced by Senator Coombs, and you'll see the names of the senators from each of those states who were also original co-sponsors of that bill. And so we certainly thank these offices, all of them, for their leadership over the past two years and moving forward to help advance this legislative proposal to expand the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. We were very pleased that our efforts from both the communities and here at the National Trust were able to have 100% participation by House and Senate offices representing these site locations. In terms of the past forward, we also got a question on this in the chat. As you all know, we are in the midst of an election year, and so there's a little bit of uncertainty right now about the legislative calendar and what bills will be heard in committee or on the House or Senate floor between now and the end of the year. But we wanted to get the ball rolling and get this legislation introduced so we can all start to be educating people and starting to spread our resources and our knowledge to set this up for some success either later in this Congress or in the future. And to tell us a little bit more about the tools that we have initially and some of the advocacy opportunities that you have, my colleague Kendra Parsons will be speaking about that. Thank you, ma'am. I'm so thrilled that we've had the opportunity today to hear from so many of our sites and to share and learn some of this incredibly rich history. Next slide please. So we'd like to ask all of you joining us today to add your voice and support of this legislation. First, please visit our the brandy board page on our website saving places.org to ask your elected officials to support this legislation. We also invite national or DC Virginia Delaware or South Carolina or Kansas based organizations to join us on a sign on letter to Congress. And you can indicate interest in adding your name to the letter by emailing us at brown VBO we at saving places.org. Finally, please follow the National Trust website and social media for updates and for their opportunities to get involved. And please share the news of this legislation with your own networks and ask them to join us in support. This time. We'll have the opportunity to ask a few questions about legislation or advocacy opportunities from our audience. The first question is understanding this is a federal legislation. Are there any state laws being introduced to also support this cause a better question is the National Trust working with state entities to support the legislation. I can answer that briefly. We've been focused on legislation at the federal level. One of the reasons for that is because these would be National Park Service affiliated areas even expansion of an existing National Park Service site. That would need to happen at the federal level, but Kendra Leslie and others have been in touch with your communities to do what we can to see how this effort can be supported in your community. There's certainly nothing at the state or local level from a legislative standpoint that we are working on right now, but we hope to have support from those folks as well. The next question is where can a copy of the bill be obtained. We will have some links for you to access that legislation on the National Trust website, the URL that Kendra shared a moment ago. You can also go to www.congress.gov. And when you type in the bill numbers, you'll able to see each day and updated list of co sponsors and supporters of those bills, as well as the text of the legislation. That's also somewhere where you can see the progress of the bill if there's a committee hearing or a vote on the House or Senate score. Then there's a question. How did this initiative get started? What do you recommend for other groups of sites who may want to push for similar recognition? Well, as Leslie mentioned at the beginning of the webinar, we had a conversation, the National Trust and Representative Clyburn just over two years ago talking about the idea of connecting the sites, elevating their stories, and perhaps pursuing this legislative project that's now come to fruition. I think for other sites who are interested in doing something similar to this, it will be on a case by case basis. I think to evaluate the different opportunities and options for your site to perhaps do something at the federal level. And depending on where you're located, there's different, you would talk to different members of Congress, either in the House or the Senate to maybe explore that opportunity. So this is going to be the last question, and this actually came in the other part of the Q&A, and that is, and I'd ask to see if any of our panelists want to answer this question, and that is, does anyone care to comment on what would happen if Brown v. Board of Education is overturned? Great question. I will let someone from one of the sites comment on that. I can attempt to answer that question. Honestly, in all my years of education, which spans over two decades now in Delaware, I've never even thought of that. I would shudder at the thought, I think, and especially in Newcastle County, Delaware, we reside, and which I've grown up in. We've done and attempted to make great strides towards integration, equity, and diversity at all levels. And so I think if that happened, we would set back, you know, hundreds of years. And I would like to think that I'm a product of deep segregation in Delaware, and I was, you know, transported from one area to another to attend schools. And so I would like to think at this point, people like me are now in seats that think of the dynamic lives that our students are living, and that we're trying to reach them every day to provide them the very best opportunities, regardless of race. And so we work towards that every day in our district, and I would like to think every day in our state. So it's a great question. Not something I've thought about before. But if that's being asked, that's obviously something someone else has thought of. So I appreciate it. Would anyone else like to address that question? Sure, I'll take a stab at that. I think the whole purpose behind all of your great work and all the collective efforts of all of the stakeholders. And the whole idea is, we can never let this happen again. And regardless of whether Brown versus Board of Education is overturned, the voice of the marketplace and the voice of our people in the country will resonate louder than any legislation. So I think that we're using the inspiration behind Brown versus Board of Education to turn our school into a center for diversity, training, inclusion, and social equity. And the whole idea is that's where we're going to teach people how to be more tolerant and how to be more accepting of people that are different than them. And I think as a real estate advisor and also a teacher, this is what the market is saying. Our generations coming up want inclusion and social equity to be a core part of who we are in the future. So I think the train has left the station on that. But I think that it's really critical that we never assume that it's too late to teach everybody how to be better human beings by understanding what it feels like to be inclusive and value add to everyone in our communities around the country and around the world. So hopefully that trend will outweigh any judicial action or political misbehavior. So anyway, fingers crossed on that. Anyone want to make a final comment? I think, you know, one of the things that I would just remind us all, I mean, Brown was a great and important legal achievement for the country. But it is not the end all be all in terms of the equity and inequality issues that we still face as a nation. In some ways, it was the Brown follow up in terms of Brown to that is really defining us in a pretty impactful way in terms of the inequalities that we still face in a number of different areas, including education. So, you know, I hope that, you know, our work with this effort is a reminder that, you know, we still got to keep moving. We still got to keep fighting to ensure that we are making important strides forward. Thank you Cameron. There was one last question that I'm going to answer and it asks if there is a uniform statement that can be sent out by advocates via their social media sites to promote the initiative. The answer is absolutely. I might suggest that you email us at bbboe at savingplaces.org and we can get that information for anyone that wants to help us advocate regarding this legislation through their social media. We would love that. So please reach out to us and we can get you the language for the different social media platforms. Great. Thank you everyone. I just wanted to let you know that we can keep the discussion going on our forum connect. This is our free online community for people in the business of saving places. We have active conversations happening all week throughout the week on topics such as section 106 to women's history at historic sites. If you haven't joined form connect, you should definitely do so now and continue the conversation. In addition, we want to invite you all to attend our online conference next month, October 27 through the 30th. Early bird registration ends on October 7. So I encourage you if you're looking interested in joining, definitely do so by the 7th so you can receive deep discounts on the conference. And again, I just wanted to thank everyone for attending today's conference. A special thank you to our speakers for sharing their experience and expertise. And if you have any questions about this webinar or others, feel free to send us an email. You can also email us about the the statement for social media and we will forward that along to our colleagues who are working on that campaign email is forum at savingplaces.org. Thank you so much. Have a good day.