STRATEGIC PRIORITY: Quality of Life
AGENDA DATE: May 27, 2020
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S): 7
DEPARTMENT: Office of Arts and Culture
EXECUTIVE: Joey Zapata
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SUBJECT
title
Authorize the (1) application for and acceptance of a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service for the FY 2020 African American Civil Rights History Grant (TBD Grant No. P20AP00147, CFDA No. 15.904) in the amount of $50,000.00 to create and share a body of research and educational material about the 1936 Hall of Negro Life at Fair Park for the period October August 1, 2020 through September August 30, 20223; (2) establishment of appropriations in an amount not to exceed $50,000.00 in the NPS AACR Grant Fund; (3) receipt and deposit of funds in an amount not to exceed $50,000.00 in the NPS AACR Grant Fund; (4) a local match in an amount not to exceed $17,500.00; (5) an In-Kind contribution in an approximate amount of $4,500.00; and (46) execution of the grant agreement with the National Park Service and all terms, conditions, and documents required by the agreement - Not to exceed $5072,000.00 - Financing: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service Grant Funds ($50,000.00), In-Kind Contributions ($4,500.00) and NPS AACR Grant Fund ($17,500.00)
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BACKGROUND
The African American Civil Rights Grant Program (AACR) documents, interprets, and preserves sites and stories related to the African American struggle to gain equal rights as citizens in the 20th Century. The grants are funded by the Historic Preservation Fund and administered by the National Park Service. This competitive grant program provides grants to states, tribes, local governments, and nonprofits to fund a broad range of planning, development, and research projects for historic sites.
The City of Dallas has been awarded a $50,000.00 AACR History grant toward the documentation, recording of oral histories, and publication of an archive, video, and podcasts related to the 1936 Hall of Negro Life which was constructed at Fair Park during the Texas Centennial.
The focus on recording and telling stories about the Hall of Negro Life is a result of the 2017 formation of the Mayor’s Task Force on Confederate Monuments in Dallas. This group made recommendations in September 2017 that led to the formation of the Working Group on Confederate Monuments, charged to identify actions from the recommendations of the Mayor’s Task Force on Confederate Monuments in Dallas. The Working Group on Confederate Monuments recognized the hidden histories surrounding African American history and civil rights at Fair Park, and recommended that these histories be uncovered and made known.
One of the most compelling histories the working group identified is the Hall of Negro Life, which was constructed for the 1936 Texas Centennial at Fair Park with Federal and private funding after African-American leaders in Texas overcome obstacles and barriers. The fact that it was built and celebrated at the Texas Centennial celebration represents the collective power of the African American community to fight for representation and improve social conditions during the Jim Crow era and leading up to the Civil Rights movement. Even with this success, the Hall of Negro Life was deconstructed just a year after its opening, and there remains conflicting information about the reason for its deconstruction, the contents inside, and its overall significance at Fair Park.
The grant-funded project will document primary sources through oral histories from scholars and people who lived through the Civil Rights movement, as well as research to discover lost and archived information about African American history and Civil Rights events in Dallas. The project will culminate in a video, resources for the creation of a traveling exhibit, podcasts, and will enable this important story to be told to current and future generations in Dallas and beyond.
The grant proposal and project were made in partnership with Fair Park First, Inspire Art Dallas, and local historians Mr. Phillip Collins, Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney, and Dr. George Keaton. Fair Park First will provide funding for the match required by the grant application and space for the recording and telling of these histories. Inspire Art Dallas will also provide a portion of the required match funding and volunteer time for archival research.
Mr. Collins is the District 7 Commissioner and Vice Chair of the Arts and Culture Advisory Commission, a member of the Public Art Committee and is the former Chief Curator of the African American Museum of Dallas. Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney is an Emeritus Professor of History for the University of Texas at Arlington. Dr. George Keaton is a former Dallas Independent School District teacher and counselor, and is the founder of Remembering Black Dallas.
The Office of Arts and Culture will also draw upon its internal resources in the Public Art Program, the South Dallas Cultural Center, and WRR-FM (Municipal Radio, for podcast and audio resources) to support the completion of this project.
If accepted, this grant will require a total match of $22,000.00. This match is comprised of cash funds of $17,500.00, and in-kind contributions in the amount of $4,500.00. The cash match will be provided by donations to be brought to City Council at a later date from Fair Park First in the amount of $7,500.00 and Inspire Art Dallas in the amount of $10,000.00. The in-kind match will be met by in kind activities and services provided by Fair Park First valued at $2,500.00, and by departmental resources (e.g., recording studio time at WRR-FM Municipal radio) valued at $2,000.00.
PRIOR ACTION/REVIEW (COUNCIL, BOARDS, COMMISSIONS)
The Mayor’s Task Force on Confederate Monuments made recommendations to the City Council, including recommendations around Fair Park and the Hall of Negro Life on September 29, 2017.
City Council was briefed on the Recommendations from the Mayor’s Task Force on Confederate Monuments, including recommendations around Fair Park and the Hall of Negro Life on November 1, 2017.
FISCAL INFORMATION
|
Fund |
FY 2020 |
FY 2021 |
Future Years |
|
U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service Grant Funds |
$0.00 |
$37,000.00 |
$13,000.00 |
|
NPS AACR Grant Fund |
$0.00 |
$10,000.00 |
$ 7,500.00 |
|
In-Kind Contribution |
$0.00 |
$ 2,00000 |
$ 2,500.00 |
|
Total |
$0.00 |
$49,000.00 |
$23,000.00 |