Carl Westmoreland facts for kids

Carl B. Westmoreland (March 8, 1937 – March 10, 2022) was an important American leader. He was a community organizer, a preservationist, and a senior historian. He worked at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

In 1967, Carl Westmoreland helped start the Mount Auburn Good Housing Foundation. This group aimed to improve living conditions in the community. They wanted to help young people find good homes and jobs. This was a response to problems like poor housing and lack of local influence.

Carl Westmoreland's Important Work

Carl Westmoreland helped many African American communities in Cincinnati. He also became the first African American to serve on the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This is a group that works to save important historical places.

At the Freedom Center

Westmoreland was a founding staff member and Senior Historian at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. This center is in Cincinnati. He researched the history of the Internal Slave Trade. This was when enslaved Africans were moved from one part of America to another. He also studied how class, gender, race, and slavery affected society. He believed that learning from history, even the difficult parts, could help different communities come together.

Carl Westmoreland also helped create the Freedom Center's largest exhibit. This exhibit was a slave pen. Slave pens were places where enslaved people were held before being moved. About 1 million enslaved Africans were shipped from coastal states to places like Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi. This slave pen is one of the very few still existing today. Westmoreland also gave advice on freedom issues around the world.

Community and Education

Carl Westmoreland oversaw many community restoration projects. These projects were worth millions of dollars. He also taught as a professor at the University of Cincinnati. He traveled and lectured in many countries, including Poland, Italy, Germany, China, and Mexico. He spoke to many different groups. These included neighborhood groups, churches, government leaders, and business executives.

He also wrote for a major newspaper and reviewed books. A big part of his work was highlighting the importance of preserving African American Churches. He wanted leaders of all backgrounds to understand their value.

Saving Historic Churches

Carl Westmoreland was a main speaker at an event remembering the 36th bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. This church is in Birmingham, Alabama. He successfully worked with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In the mid-1990s, they declared Black Churches an Endangered American Historic Resource. This meant they needed special protection. He also helped historic Black churches get listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Examples include the Union Baptist Cemetery in Cincinnati. Another is the Saint James African Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery in Havre De Grace, Maryland.

Education

Carl Westmoreland grew up in Lincoln Heights, Ohio. He went to Wyoming High School. He briefly attended Miami University. Then he enrolled at Knoxville College. There, he started his work as a community activist. He earned a master's degree in urban sociology. This field studies how people live in cities.

Awards

Carl Westmoreland received many honors for his work:

• Louise DuPont Crowninshield Award: This is America's top award for historic preservation. It is given by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
• Nominated for the Rockefeller Foundation Public Service Award.
• Partners for Livable Places, Public Service Award, Washington, D.C.
• Underground Railroad Free Press prize for Leadership in the Underground Railroad Community.
• Distinguished Alumni award from Wyoming High School, Ohio. This school was named one of Newsweek's 100 Best High Schools.
• Received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Urbana University, Ohio.