ACCORD Freedom Trail and Civil Rights Museum continues the mission to honor fearless figures
The ACCORD Freedom Trail and Civil Rights Museum continues the mission to honor the pivotal moments, places, and fearless figures of the state’s civil rights movement by restoring all of it historical markers.
Action News Jax explains how much this job is going to cost.
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The price tag is nearly $75,000 to restore all 32-freedom trail historical markers in St. Augustine.
The Non-profit started out with 10 historical markers back in 2004 when the Accord Freedom Trail and Civil Rights Museum were launched. Since then, the markers have been damaged by the sun, vandalized, and tipped over.
Director of Corporate Relations/Marketing, Priscilla Duncan said, “There’s going to be wear and tear on these makers. We want to be able to continue our mission to highlight these key places in St. Augustine where these events took place. Some of the markers you can barely see the verbiage on them. It’s important to us that we restore them and bring it back to full life for the next 20 years.”
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The markers are part of the Freedom Trail, which teaches locals and tourists about St. Augustine’s role in ending segregation.
Duncan said, “We continue to carry that torch so that other individuals who are young black and brown kids who live in St. Augustine are aware of this information. This is so they don’t have to be privative to this information in their adult years as I did. This is also for everyone for St. Augustine and around the world.”
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The organization will be adding to its collection of historical Markers this year to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the passing of the civil rights act this coming July 2nd.
Duncan said, “To commemorate we’re going to an additional eight. We currently have 32 and we’re going to have 40 by mid-summer for the July 2nd launch.”
The non-profit received five grants. One was from the Community Foundation of Northeast Florida in the amount of $14,400 to replace four markers.
They also were awarded a separate $50k grant to replace all of the ACCORD Freedom Trail Markers with their new logo.
Along with a $50,000 grant from Northrop Grumman, a $14,000 grant from Delores Barr Weaver via The Community Foundation, and a $4,000 from The Florida Humanities Council.
They have until March 2024 to fulfill the seven markers under the CFN grant in which they have already replaced three.
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