Title
Vote to approve America 250 NC Community Grant Application
Abstract
Introduction & Background: This grant of $30,000 is only available to nonprofits/community partners OR a local government in partnership with a nonprofit/community partner. The Chatham Celebrates America 250 County Committee is working in partnership with the Chatham County Historical Association for this grant.
The Chatham County Celebrates America 250 project will kick-off celebrating Revolutionary NC by commemorating the Cornwallis Corridor with historical markers. The markers will recognize the journey Lord Charles Cornwallis took through Chatham County as he retreated from Guilford Courthouse to the then British-occupied Wilmington area in 1781. The corridor will serve as the starting point of telling Chatham County’s America 250 NC story. From here community partners will collaborate to develop exhibits, speakers, live reenactments/performances, podcasts, storywalks, and interactive lesson plans that will lead participants through historical events spanning 250 years that shaped Chatham County. These activities will tell the narrative of When We Are Us? and will include the struggles for freedom and justice and the resilience displayed by BIPOC and marginalized populations. The project will cover topics including enslaved people’s fight for freedom, the civil rights movements, and women’s suffrage. The project will also include the people of Chatham County’s strength and resolve as the nation was tested through a Civil War, two world wars, the Korean War, and Vietnam War. Through this historical lens, participants will build connections to the America 250 NC themes and gain a deeper understanding of how we became us. Lastly, the community will be invited to a Gathering of Voices, a series of conversations to find common ground. Participants will be given an opportunity to reflect on the Halifax and Mecklenburg resolves created at the time of the Revolutionary War; and be invited to create resolutions to shape the future and make our state a better place.
Discussion & Analysis: The Chatham County Celebrates America 250 Committee will recruit individuals from minority and marginalized communities to ensure that stories are being told through a diverse, equitable, and inclusive lens. Research will be conducted and collected to provide accurate details on British soldiers and Loyalists. The Cornwallis Corridor will serve as the cornerstone of the project commemorating the NC Revolutionary War history of Chatham County. It will be the starting point of telling the story of Chatham County residents and how the county has developed over the last 250 years. The Chatham County Celebrates America 250 Committee will reach out to all communities in the county through a series of community engagement strategies including focus groups, surveys, and attending special events and festivals. The committee will conduct extensive outreach efforts promoting the project and participation at (but not limited to) schools, faith-based organizations, non-profit organizations. The Equity & Community Engagement Officer will ensure that all Chatham County residents are represented and see themselves in the semi quincentennial. The committee will request the America 250 NC airstream to visit Chatham County to assist in providing information on the commemoration and to assist in generating interest and encouraging participation.
The grant funding and match provided by the county will be used to create freely accessible activities for the public. The Chatham County Celebrates America 250 Committee will employ Universal Design principles to safeguard accessibility for project events. Attendance will be taken with handheld tally counters. For passive programming, the number of challenge cards returned will be counted.
How does this relate to the Comprehensive Plan: This grant meets two goals of Plan Chatham: Providing recreational opportunities and access to open space and fostering a healthy community.
Budgetary Impact: A 15% match of $4,500 is required. The committee will track staff time and resources for in-kind donations for the match instead of a monetary match.
Recommendation/Motion: Motion to approve America 250 NC Community Grant Application.