Watch Our New “Story Project” Video! The Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center

In the latest video from our “Story Project,” Pamela Browne, longtime volunteer and now Executive Director of the Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center, Inc., shares her story about what drew her here, starting with her father’s attendance as a high school student. The Legacy Center is dedicated to preserving and presenting the history of Wiley H. Bates High School, formerly (1932 to 1966) the only high school for African Americans in Anne Arundel County. It is a unique cultural arts and heritage center displaying historical documents and collections that preserve the African American experience.

The Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center, Inc., honors and gives substance to the contributions of the founder, faculty, staff and students of Wiley H. Bates High School, which operated for over thirty years as the only high school for African American students in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. The historical, cultural and educational center collects, preserves, presents, interprets and makes available for research its holdings in order to provide insight and perspective on the roles of education, economic opportunity and service for citizens of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County and other jurisdictions. Located in what was once a segregated community, this nonprofit institution serves as a touchstone for understanding and renewal for the community.