Reimagining Clayborn Temple after a fire claimed to be arson destroyed the historic downtown memphis church
One month after a fire devastated significant sections of Historic Clayborn Temple in Memphis, the National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund announced that it was partnering with Mellon Foundation and Ford Foundation to award a $1.5 million grant to kickstart a capital campaign for Historic Clayborn Temple‘s restoration.
Martin Luther King III was a speaker at the announcement and reminded the crowd that Clayborn Temple served as the epicenter of the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike, the final campaign of his father’s life.
“The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is proud to join our partners in an immediate response effort to preserve and reconstruct Clayborn Temple,” said Brent Leggs, executive director of the Action Fund and a senior vice president at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
“Through a collective grant of $1.5M, we are committed to standing with you and seeing this process of healing through.”
The announcement was made during a public press conference held in Memphis, Tennessee that included remarks from Anasa Troutman, CEO of The BIG We and steward of the Clayborn Temple project, Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen, Memphis Mayor Paul Young and King.