Plans for a museum to tell the story of Cumberland County and Fayetteville’s Black community are moving forward after a contract was approved by Cumberland County Commissioners this month.
Commissioners and the Fayetteville City Council approved splitting the $900,000 cost for the first phase of the Black Voice and History Museum project in 2022, with each entity agreeing to appropriate $450,000.
The commissioners’ contract approved Jan. 10, is for the Community Development Foundation to oversee the project, which would include a study, community engagement and preliminary design for the museum, county documents state.
The Community Development Foundation is a nonprofit through the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corp. that oversees projects like the proposed museum, EDC President and CEO Robert Van Geons said Friday.
“It’s the vehicle for this initial phase of community engagement, conversation and data gathering to see if this is ultimately a viable project,” Van Geons said.