'Devastating' fire destroys Tennessee civil rights center's main building
A fire destroyed the main office building at Tennessee’s Highlander Research and Education Center, a historic leadership school for civil rights and social justice - destroying decades of archives and artifacts.
The “devastating” fire engulfed the building before 6am on Friday, the center said in a statement. No one was injured.
“While we are physically unhurt, we are saddened about the loss of our main office. The fire destroyed decades of historic documents, speeches, artifacts and memorabilia from movements of all kinds, including the Civil Rights movement,” said co-executive directors Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson and the Rev Allyn Maxfield-Steele.
The building is one of 10 on the center’s 200-acre campus, and housed its staff offices. The other nine buildings were not damaged.
“Highlander has been a movement home for nearly 87 years and has weathered many storms. This is no different,” the directors said. “This has been a space for training, strategy and respite for decades and it will continue to be for decades to come.”
Authorities have not yet determined what caused the fire.
The center in New Market, Tennessee, was founded in 1932 as the Highlander Folk School. It is known for educating leaders in social justice and was an important player in the civil rights movement, hosting figures including Rosa Parks before her role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Martin Luther King Jr, and members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.