In 2019, the West Gaines Community Center was formed to deter the demolition of the formally known West Gaines Colored School in Lawrenceburg, TN, USA. Headed by committee president James Wallace, former alumni have garnered support for the school’s preservation. The school remains significant to the community because it was the only school black children could attend during Jim Crow. More importantly, the black community in Lawrenceburg considers it the last public landmark of their past.
“A people without knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.”
― Marcus Garvey