Hosanna School Museum to Host Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture

From Hosanna School Museum:

On Monday December 7, 2015, Hosanna School Museum will host the Regular Meeting of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC). One of the primary purposes of the meeting is to inform the community of funding opportunities for preservation projects. Founded in 1969 as the Maryland Commission on Negro History and Culture, the MCAAHC has been committed to discovering, documenting, preserving, collecting, and promoting Maryland’s African American heritage.

Through a partnership of the MCAAHC and the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT), the African American Heritage Preservation Program (AAHPP) offers assistance to organizations and private citizens in their sponsorship of successful acquisition, construction, or improvement of African American heritage projects. Fiscal year 2016, the AAHPP provided 13 grants totaling $1 million to Maryland nonprofit groups, local governments, and businesses.

The goal of the AAHPP is to identify and preserve buildings, communities and sites of historical and cultural importance to the African American experience in Maryland. Last year’s grant awards ranged from $14,000 to $100,000. Some of the projects funded include: Piney Grove United Methodist Church and School House in Baltimore County received $100, 000; the Catoctin Furnace African American Cemetery in Frederick County received $87, 000; and the Frederick Douglass Square at the University of Maryland in Prince Georges County received $100,000.

“I commend the work of these individuals and organizations in their effort to preserve and showcase Maryland’s unique African American heritage and culture,” Gov. Larry Hogan said. “The diversity of these preservation projects and their geographic distribution across our state demonstrates the significant contributions African Americans made in every corner of the state. I applaud the hard work and dedication of the commission and the Trust in identifying these landmarks and ensuring this piece of history will be preserved for our grandchildren and their grandchildren.”

The mission of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture(MCAAHC) is to interpret, document, preserve, and promote Maryland’s African American heritage; to provide technical assistance to institutions and groups with similar objectives; and to educate Maryland’s citizens and visitors about the significance of the African American experience in Maryland and the nation. MCAAHC is housed within the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives.

Hosanna School Museum was a 2012 recipient of the AAHPP awarded by the MCAAHC and received $28,000. With the grant funding, Hosanna was able to purchase and install a chair lift for disabled individuals to gain easier access to the second level of the museum. Hosanna School Museum is a historic Freedmen’s Bureau School and was the first public in Harford County for African Americans. Built in 1867, it underwent complete restoration in 2005. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its main objective is to collect, document, interpret, and share the history and culture of Harford County, Maryland, and beyond through the lens of African Americans.

The meeting is open to the public and will begin at 11:00 A.M. Hosanna is located at 2424 Castleton Road, Darlington Maryland. Light refreshments will be served. To register and for more information:

Contact Mr. LeRonn Herbert at 410-216-6181 or MCAAHC@gmail.com or Charles L. Chavis, Jr., Museum Assistant at: cchavis@hosannaschoolmuseum.org or 410-457-4161, by Friday, December 4, 2015.