As Men 2 Be works toward restoring Crispus Attucks High School and transforming it into a community center, members of the nonprofit are inviting community members to share their vision for the school’s future.
Men 2 Be was established in 2020 and works to uplift boys in the community by supporting them academically and teaching them life and social skills. Attucks High School was built in 1916 and was Hopkinsville’s first public school for Black students. The school became an integrated middle school in 1967 before closing in 1988. Since then, it has been inducted into the National Register of Historic Places.
LaDessa Lewis, the co-founder of Men 2 Be, shared that the nonprofit will host a public forum at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Hopkinsville Community College’s Emerging Technologies Building to discuss what the school could be transformed into and to receive community feedback.
This will be Men 2 Be’s second public forum concerning the future of the school; the first forum, hosted in January, focused on the school’s historical significance. At Saturday’s forum, Lewis says they will have construction and workforce developers in attendance who are interested in supporting the high school’s revitalization.
Before any restoration work starts inside the schools, Lewis says the roof needs to be replaced. Once restored, she says the school will house Men 2 Be, and she also wants to have business and residential spaces.
Bringing this vision to life is not cheap, and Lewis says they are always accepting donations, which can be made at men2beinc.org.
Men 2 Be will host a third public forum at 10 a.m. on March 21 at the Performing Arts Center at Christian County Middle School to discuss programs and initiatives to empower local youth and how the revitalization of the school could play a role.