Congressman Bishop gives Liberty Theatre $7,500 check to preserve black culture

The Black History Month Observance Committee led by Congressman Sanford Bishop presented the Liberty Theatre Cultural Center with a $7,500 check on Tuesday as a sign of support for the struggling organization.

The donation comes just a couple of weeks after the theatre’s roof was damaged by heavy rain, forcing the organization to move its holiday production of “Go Tell it on the Mountain” to the auditorium at Carver High School.

The Black History Month Observance Committee holds an annual black history observance breakfast in February to raise money for local charities. Bishop said the Liberty Theatre was chosen this year because of its tremendous contributions to the community.

“The Liberty has a lot of challenges, a lot of leaks, but it’s still historic,” he said. “Ma Rainey performed here and many other luminaries in black music, art and culture. They performed here because they couldn’t perform anywhere else and this historic building is now almost 100 years old. It would be a shame for all of this history not to be taken care of, preserved and revered. We just want to be a part of helping that to happen.”

Bishop said the 32nd Annual Black History Observance Breakfast will be held Feb. 20 at the Convention and Trade Center. Congressman Cedrick Richmond, D-La., will be the guest speaker.

Shae Anderson, the Liberty’s executive director, said the $7,500 was very much appreciated. She said the organization is still searching for commercial roofers and raising funds for the repair project. The money donated by the Black History Observance Committee will be used for general theater operations and maintenance, she said.

“It will definitely help to get some of the facility’s challenges taken care of around here that we face on a day-to-day basis,” she said. “But, more importantly, the Liberty is a staple in the community because we employ so much local talent. ... We just want to make sure we can keep being that place in the community.”

This story was originally published December 20, 2016 at 12:55 PM with the headline "Congressman Bishop gives Liberty Theatre $7,500 check to preserve black culture."