FISCAL SPONSOR
Chaplain
Curtis Browder
Curtis Browder was appointed by Governor George C. Wallace as Alabama's first African-American Chaplain for the Alabama Prison System. Today, “Chap” Browder is the force behind the Faith Crusade Montgomery Rescue Mission. Since 1992, the Mission has led the effort to permanently alleviate hunger and homelessness within Montgomery and abroad. The mission has been at the forefront of nearly every major disaster within the southeastern region of the United States and currently runs countless mobile pantries for the Montgomery Area Food Bank. Chaplain Browder also runs a prison ministry program, employs and houses formerly incarcerated men, and operates a shelter for homeless women veterans.
The land, museum house and the travel center house have all been generously donated by the Mission for The More Up Campus project.
EXECUTIVE & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Michelle
Browder
For 30 years, Michelle has been an advocate and activist for the at-risk and marginalized. Her heart is especially tender toward disenfranchised youth.
She noticed that young people needed someone to listen, encourage, and provide a safe space for them. She created a place that immersed students in history, "real talk," spoken word and visual art. This experience birthed an arts-centered diversion program that was used by juvenile detention centers in Alabama and Georgia.
In the spring of 2012, Michelle and a group of chaperones took 56 students to Washington, DC to see Attorney Bryan Stevenson argue a case before the United States Supreme Court. The case focused on the constitutionality of youth being sentenced to death in prison. This encounter changed both the students’ and Michelle’s lives exponentially and birthed the I Am More Than Youth Empowerment Initiative. This initiative expanded into a non-profit that hosted community conversations, arts-centered programs for
schools and youth-led conferences.
Michelle owns and operates More Than Tours, a social enterprise that provides educational and interactive tours to students and tourists exposing the rich and sometimes haunting history of Montgomery, Alabama. More Than Tours has bridged the racial divide by reaching nearly 10,000 students and tourists.
CONSULTANTS
Deleso
Alford, J.D., LL.M.
Deleso Alford is a Shreveport, Louisiana native and Professor of Law at Southern University Law Center. She is a recognized thought leader in Critical Race Feminist theory.
Since 2006, Professor Alford has lectured on the “HER- story” of Anarcha, Betsey and Lucy both domestically and abroad. A list of noted scholarly publications include an on-line Hastings Bioethics Forum essay entitled, A Call for Medical Students to Learn the Full Story about the “Father of Gynecology”, October 5, 2017, available here and excerpts of her seminal work which highlight the practical application of the “HER-story” in the forthcoming textbook entitled, Critical Justice: Systemic Advocacy in Law and Society (West Academic, 2020.)
J.C.
Hallman
J.C. Hallman is the author of six books, and the recipient of fellowships from the McKnight and Guggenheim foundations. In 2017, his cover piece for Harper's magazine, "Monumental Error," contributed to New York City's decision to remove the Central Park monument to Dr. J. Marion Sims.
In 2015, Hallman unearthed the first evidence ever found of Anarcha's existence that did not come from Sims's suspect writings. Since then, he has tracked Anarcha’s life story, from the plantation where she was born to the lonely forest where she is buried. His book, Say Anarcha: A Young Woman, a Devious Surgeon, and the Harrowing Birth of Modern Women's Health, will appear in June 2023.
ANARCHA ARCHIVE
