The BHMVA is one of seven new spaces to earn the designation so far this year.
The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia has recently been added to the list of historic sites by the National Park Service for its importance in illustrating the history of America’s civil rights.
According to the definition created by the Congress-conceived African American Civil Rights Network, historic sites are spots that tell the history of the civil rights movement and highlight the enriching sacrifices and activism of those who participated in it. The Richmond-located museum was added to the classification along with seven other sites this spring, VPM reports.
The Black History Museum’s executive director, Shakiea Gullette Warren, called the new designation a high honor.
She told VPM, “It means a great deal to the BHMVA as we endeavor each day to tell the stories of African Americans here in the Commonwealth, and it also gives us an opportunity to expand what the Civil Rights movement means here in Virginia.”