About this Sacred Place
Nestled within the city of Anniston resides the West Fifteenth Street Historic District—a once-thriving commercial and social center for African Americans during an era of deep segregation. During this time, the city offered everything its residents needed, and the beautiful mural in this quarter-acre Sacred Place was painted to show just that. It is also the only CFNEA site that is located on the Anniston Civil Rights Trail. The Sacred Place was created with a deep intent to spotlight this history, and to serve as a means for residents and visitors alike to connect, or reconnect, with the stories of the community as it used to be, and reflect on the progress that has been made since then. The site has served as a gathering place for community celebrations such as Jazz in Park, sponsored by CFNEA and the City of Anniston.
Providing opportunities for children in particular to gain this knowledge from their grandparents and elders was especially vital to the creators of the site: many of them are unaware of Anniston’s unique history. The site presents an important avenue for people to learn about the unity fostered by the civil rights movement and take those lessons into their lives today.
