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Following the Civil War, Phoenix became a destination for the hope of new beginnings with many Black people that came to escape the shadows of the American South. The West as an ideal represented a means to live your own life, and in many ways, it became a site of history that transformed the city over the years. Here are a few landmarks of Black history that showcase the way that Phoenix, Arizona has changed from decade to decade.
Tanner Chapel
20 S 8th St, Phoenix, AZ 85034
This Chapel in Phoenix, Arizona belongs to the African Methodist Episcopal Church and was founded by settlers of color escaping the violent and oppressive post-Reconstruction era of the South. This landmark is an important component of the history of the 1960s Civil Rights movement because it was a site for demonstrations and is the only church to house a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the movement.
George Washington Carver High School
415 E Grant St, Phoenix, AZ 85004
This high school, built between two segregated neighborhoods in the 1920s, created a harsh learning climate due to its location next to warehouses and dangerous chemicals — and it was the proving ground for a lawsuit in the ’50s that brought Arizona to desegregation before the Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education. In fact, the case in Phoenix proved a precedent for the Supreme Court only two years later!