Tuscaloosa’s Stillman College Receives $500K Grant to Renovate Sheppard Library

Stillman College has received a $500,000 grant from the National Park Service that will be used to renovate its Sheppard Library into a civil rights museum and digital learning center.

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According to a release from the college, Stillman is one of five historically black colleges and universities in Alabama that received funding through the NPS' Historic Preservation Fund.

Sheppard Library will receive upgraded technology and infrastructure and will be modernized to include spaces for faculty development and digital learning, benefiting both Stillman students and members of the community.

Dr. Cynthia Warrick, president at Stillman, said establishing a civil rights museum will "shine a much-needed light on the contributions Stillman students, faculty and staff have made toward challenging racial injustices and inequality in Tuscaloosa."

"One of the things I noticed when I got to Stillman was that we didn’t have any information about Stillman and its role in the civil rights movement in our community," Warrick said. "Telling the story of Stillman College within a civil rights lens is important."

The NPS grant requires the college to match 20% of the funding amount, leaving the college to raise $100,000. Community members who wish to donate can visit www.stillman.edu/give or post mail to Institutional Advancement, 3601 Stillman Boulevard Tuscaloosa, AL 35401.