Black Public High Schools, 1870-1970 Listening Session
You’re Invited!
When: Thursday, October 9, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. EST/6:00 p.m. CST
Register in advance for this meeting here
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
About:
Community stakeholders in various parts of the country have expressed interest in National Historic Landmark designation for Black public secondary schools. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) is working with National Park Service (NPS), scholars of the history of Black secondary education, and community advocates for extant schools to develop a strategy for evaluating eligibility for this designation. This listening session, which will be recorded for research purposes only, is one of the three community engagement activities of the Black Public High Schools 1870-1970 Project, led by Principal Investigator Amber N. Wiley, PhD. The other two include a Community Forum held at the 110th Annual ASALH Conference in Atlanta, and a Public Survey.
TAKE THE SURVEY!
If interested in providing input for the study, please fill out the public survey.
VIEW THE SLIDES FROM THE SESSION:
Community Forum: Black Public High Schools, 1870-1970
You’re Invited!
When: Thursday, September 25, 2025
Where: ASALH 110th Annual Conference, Atlanta GA
Join the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) and the National Park Service (NPS) for an essential conversation about the history and impact of Black public high schools in the United States. These schools have long been pillars of education, culture, and social progress. ASALH has launched the Black Public High Schools, 1870-1970 Project in partnership with the NPS, which will assist the National Historic Landmark program in identifying and documenting properties associated with the history of segregated Black public high schools.
This forum will facilitate conversation amongst community members, scholars, alumni, and educators to help shape the historic context for preservation of these valuable community assets. Your insights will assist in identifying key themes that ensure these institutions’ legacies are documented and honored. You are also encouraged to attend the Scholars’ Roundtable to learn more about the project and the research already in motion to document, preserve, and celebrate the legacy of Black public high schools in the United States.
Your Participation Matters:
- Share personal stories and experiences
- Identify significant historical themes
- Contribute to the preservation of Black educational heritage
Whether you’re a current or former student, educator, researcher, or advocate, your voice is essential. Let’s engage, reflect, and preserve this history together!
TAKE THE SURVEY!
If interested in providing input for the study, please fill out the public survey.
ABOUT THE PROJECT: BLACK PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS, 1870-1970
About the Project: Community stakeholders in various parts of the country have expressed interest in National Historic Landmark designation for Black public secondary schools. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) is working with National Park Service (NPS), scholars of the history of Black secondary education, and community advocates for extant schools to develop a strategy for evaluating eligibility for this designation.
Ways to participate in the study:
- Attend the Scholars’ Roundtable and Community Forum
- Take the Black Public High Schools 1870-1970 Survey
The project includes the organization of a scholars’ roundtable and community forum on the history of segregated Black high schools and related significant sites in the United States from approximately 1870 to 1970, that will take place at the ASALH Conference (https://asalh.org/conference/), September 24-28, 2005. Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., was selected by ASALH to lead this project and convene the forum, organize the scholars’ roundtable, and develop the survey. The information collected at these convenings, and other project research will result in the production of a recommendation report.
This project expands and updates the focus on the legal struggles to achieve desegregation in the Civil Rights in America education theme study RACIAL DESEGREGATION IN PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES THEME STUDY AUGUST 2000 (nps.gov) (2000) and supplements Landmarks that Transformed Education Racial Desegregation in Public Education in the United States, A National Historic Landmark Theme Study Update, May 17, 2004 (nps.gov) (2004) to understand the important role of public high schools built by and for Black communities prior to Brown v. Board (1954).
For the purposes of this project, Black public secondary schools or high schools are defined as educational institutions that were funded by the local, state, and/or federal government specifically for African Americans, either by de jure (law) or de facto (by custom) segregation. These schools offered general, technical, vocational, or college-preparatory courses, usually at the 9-12 grade levels.
NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARKS
Description: National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) are nationally significant historic places of high integrity designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. Currently, more than 2,600 historic places bear this national distinction.
Black High Schools currently NHLs:
- Howard High School – 04/05/05 Wilmington, New Castle County, DE
- Robert Russa Moton High School – 08/05/98 Farmville, Prince Edward County, VA
- George W. Watkins School – 08/07/01 New Kent County, VA
NB: These schools are listed for their association with desegregation legislation.
PROJECT PLAN/PROCESS
The following process outlines the steps the NPS is undertaking to complete the Black Public High Schools 1870-1970 Project.
Step 1. Information gathering and civic engagement: ASALH Scholars’ Roundtable and Community Forum
Step 2. Virtual survey for public comment period*
Step 3. Analysis of public comment and civic engagement
Step 4. Prepare summary draft report
Step 5. Review of draft summary report
Step 6. Prepare final summary report
* indicates the current step in the planning process
MEETING NOTICES
ASALH 110th Annual Conference, Atlanta GA
- Scholars’ Roundtable – 9/25/2025 at 10:15-11:45 am – Times subject to change
- Community Forum – 9/25/2025 4:00-5:30 pm – Open to the Public – Times subject to change
- Listening Session – 10/09/25 at 7:00 p.m. EST – 6:00 p.m. CST
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (PI):
Name: Amber N. Wiley, PhD
Director, Institute for Quality Communities
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture
The University of Oklahoma
Brief Bio: Amber N. Wiley, PhD is the Wick Cary Director of the Institute for Quality Communities. An award-winning scholar, Wiley brings more than 15 years of experience in teaching, research and professional practice in historic preservation, architecture and community engagement. She has dedicated her professional career to advancing the history and narrative of design and preservation in Black communities, as well as advocating for theoretically rigorous, thoughtful and inclusive expansions of preservation policy and practice.
Wiley’s scholarship has been honored by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, the DC Preservation League, and the Vernacular Architecture Forum. Her publications cover African American and African diasporic cultural heritage, urbanism in New Orleans, school design, urban renewal, and preservation policy. Her book, Model Schools in the Model City: Race, Planning, and Education in the Nation’s Capital was released by the University of Pittsburgh Press in April 2025.
Contact Info: [email protected]
TAKE THE SURVEY! BLACK PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS, 1870-1970
Survey Disclaimer
The personal information collected through this survey will be used solely for research purposes with the end goal of developing a recommendation report. All personal data and identifying information will be held in strict confidence by the principal investigator, Dr. Amber N. Wiley, and will not be shared with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) or the National Park Service (NPS). Neither ASALH nor the NPS are collecting, accessing, or storing this data. Any photographs, documents, or other historical materials voluntarily shared may be included in the final recommendation report only after the principal investigator has requested and received explicit permission from the owners and copyright holders.