Topeka historic landmark could be recognized internationally
TOPEKA (KSNT) - A Topeka landmark is in the running to be internationally recognized for its cultural significance.
Monroe Elementary School, part of the Brown v. Board Education National Historical Park, is under consideration to become an international cultural landmark, according to the Black American Blueprint Collective, "The Black Collective". The Black Collective announced in a news release on Monday, Jan. 20, that Georgia State University (GSU) is nominating 11 U.S. Civil Rights Trail sites to receive UNESCO World Heritage Site status. The Monroe Elementary School is the only Kansas location mentioned.
Sherri Camp, executive director of The Black Collective, announced that the GSU has visited the Monroe school multiple times to exchange information about the Civil Right Trail nominations.
"This designation would be huge for Topeka. I’ve been part of a local team hosting the delegation to move the nomination forward since they first visited in 2018. Monroe Elementary School is the only Midwest site considered in the nomination, and it’s important for the community to rally around this effort. If it succeeds, a historic site right here in Topeka, Kansas, would join the ranks of universally recognized cultural landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, Grand Canyon, Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, Taj Mahal in India, and many more.”
Sherri Camp, executive director of The Black Collective
The Topeka school was named in the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case that outlawed segregation in U.S. public schools. Monroe Elementary School is accompanied on the nomination by sites in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
The World Heritage Initiative is working to submit the nomination for review in August 2025 for a final report to be submitted to the World Heritage Centre in Paris, France in January 2026. According to a news release, a final decision will be made the the World Heritage Committee in 2027.
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