Sacred Places
Mural Park at West Anniston Gateway, in partnership with CFNEA
The only CFNEA site on the Anniston Civil Rights Trail.
WHERE
Anniston, AL
SETTING
Neighborhood
PARTNER INSTITUTION
The Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama
Visit
Where it is
1128 Gurnee Avenue, Anniston, AL 36201
What happens here
The site serves as a gathering place for community celebrations such as Jazz in Park, sponsored by CFNEA and the City of Anniston. Residents and visitors come to connect or reconnect with the stories of the community as it used to be, and to reflect on the progress made since.
HOW IT CAME TO BE
The children don't know the history.
01
The Need
The West Fifteenth Street Historic District was once a thriving commercial and social centre for African Americans during an era of deep segregation, when the city offered its residents everything they needed. Many of the children growing up there now are unaware of that history.
02
The Vision
Providing opportunities for children in particular to gain that knowledge from their grandparents and elders was especially vital to the site's creators. The Sacred Place was made with a deep intent to spotlight the district's history and to offer an avenue for people to learn about the unity fostered by the civil rights movement and carry those lessons into their lives today.
03
The Transformation
The quarter-acre pocket park is the only CFNEA site located on the Anniston Civil Rights Trail. Its mural was painted to show the district as it was, when the city offered its residents everything they needed.
WHO TENDS IT
Frazier Burroughs
Firesoul, Mural Park at West Anniston Gateway, in partnership with CFNEA
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Fred Smith
Firesoul, Mural Park at West Anniston Gateway, in partnership with CFNEA
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