In 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. stood at the pulpit of Shiloh Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio, speaking about the Vietnam War and civil rights.
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Jr. → stand → War
Nearly six decades later, the historic African American congregation has secured a $750,000 grant to repair its building and make it more accessible to the community.
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it → secure → community
According to News 5 Cleveland, the funding comes through the National Park Service’s African American Civil Rights Grant Program, with the Cleveland Restoration Society helping the church prepare its application.
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church → accord → application
The grant will support essential repairs while helping Shiloh continue its work as a place of worship, community service and civil rights history.
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Shiloh → support → worship
A congregation with roots in 1849
Shiloh Baptist Church was founded in 1849 and is described by News 5 Cleveland as the city’s oldest African American Baptist congregation.
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Church → found → congregation
After occupying several locations over the years, it moved into its current building on Scovill Avenue in 1926.
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it → occupy → 1926
The historic structure had previously housed B’nai Jeshurun Temple and is recognised as a local and national historic landmark.
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structure → house → landmark
For generations, Shiloh has served more than its own congregation.
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Shiloh → serve → congregation
Its history is tied to the experiences of African Americans who moved north during the Great Migration, as well as to Cleveland’s civil rights movement.
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who → tie → movement
The church provided a place for worship, support and advocacy during periods of social change.
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church → provide → change
Its community role was also evident during the Hough riots of 1966, when the congregation helped rebuild homes destroyed by fire.
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congregation → help → fire
That history reflects the church’s involvement in neighbourhood life beyond Sunday services, including efforts to support residents facing hardship.
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history → reflect → hardship
One of the most significant moments in Shiloh’s history came in 1967, when Martin Luther King Jr. visited Cleveland and preached from its pulpit.
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Jr. → come → pulpit
According to News 5 Cleveland, the visit was his final one to the city before his assassination in 1968.
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visit → accord → 1968
The Rev. Dr. Lisa Goods, Shiloh’s current pastor and the first woman to lead the congregation, told the broadcaster that King spoke about the Vietnam War and delivered a version of his “A Knock at Midnight” speech.
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King → lead → speech
He also called on the congregation to support Operation Breadbasket and protest Sealtest over its treatment of African Americans.
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He → call → Americans
The visit connected the church to the wider struggle for racial equality at a time when civil rights activism and opposition to the Vietnam War were prominent issues in the United States.
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activism → connect → States
Preserving the building therefore means maintaining a physical place associated with a significant chapter in Cleveland’s history.
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Preserving → preserve → history
Shiloh also has cultural connections beyond the civil rights movement.
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Shiloh → have → movement
Goods told News 5 Cleveland that actress and singer
Dorothy Dandridge was a member of the congregation and had credited the church with hosting her first performance.
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Dandridge → tell → performance
During the Harlem Renaissance, the church also hosted artistic activity, adding another dimension to its cultural legacy.
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church → host → legacy
What the $750,000 grant will fund
The National Park Service included Shiloh Baptist Church’s rehabilitation among the projects receiving funding through its African American Civil Rights Preservation and History Grants.
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Service → fund → Grants
Its published awards list identifies the Cleveland Restoration Society as the recipient organisation for the $750,000 Shiloh Baptist Church Rehabilitation project.
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list → publish → project
According to News 5 Cleveland, the money will address several problems affecting the building.
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money → accord → building
Planned work includes restoring the deteriorating portico, repairing water-damaged plaster throughout the church, installing air conditioning in the sanctuary and adding an elevator to improve accessibility.
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work → plan → accessibility
These improvements are intended to protect the historic structure while making it easier for people to use.
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people → intend → structure
Repairing damaged areas can help preserve the building for the future, while air conditioning and an elevator can make the space more comfortable and accessible to a wider range of visitors.
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space → repair → visitors
The grant will also support an update to the church’s National Register of Historic Places nomination, which was originally completed in 1982.
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which → support → 1982
The revised documentation is expected to better reflect Shiloh’s history and its role in the civil rights movement.
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documentation → expect → movement
Keeping the church active in the community
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Keeping → keep → community
The Cleveland Restoration Society worked with Shiloh on the grant application.
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Society → work → application
Its president, Kathleen Crowther, described the funding as an important opportunity for urban congregations trying to maintain historic buildings.
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president → describe → buildings
Churches can face significant financial pressure when older structures need major repairs, particularly when congregations have limited resources.
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congregations → face → resources
The application also highlighted Shiloh’s ongoing community work, including programmes related to health services, food access and youth outreach.
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application → highlight → services
The church has also received a grant for a feasibility study exploring affordable housing on some of its vacant land.
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church → receive → land
For Goods, the funding offers a chance to protect the building while sustaining the congregation’s broader purpose.
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funding → offer → purpose
The aim is not simply to preserve an old structure, but to keep it useful to the people it serves.
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it → preserve → people
Preserving history for the next generation
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Preserving → preserve → generation
The National Park Service’s grant programme supports projects that preserve places and stories connected to the African American struggle for civil rights.
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that → support → rights
Shiloh’s award places the Cleveland congregation among efforts to protect buildings that carry both architectural and historical importance.
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that → place → importance
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
