The Phillips Chapel Restoration Groups presents “Clarence H. Fielder: Preserving African American Heritage” at the Branigan Cultural Center at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 21.
Clarence Fielder (1928 – 2015) was a community leader, teacher, and historian of the African American community. For more than 50 years, he taught in the Las Cruces public schools and taught in the Black Studies Program at New Mexico State University. He was the grandson of Ollie and Daniel Hibler, founders of the Phillips Chapel Colored Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church in Las Cruces, built in 1911 on Tornillo Street. Fielder was instrumental in placing the chapel on the National Register of Historic Places as the oldest surviving African American church in New Mexico. He inspired and led the restoration of the chapel. This talk will document the life of Fielder and the preservation of the Phillips Chapel.
Admission to the Branigan Cultural Center is free, as is this program. The museum is located at 501 N. Main Street (RoadRUNNER Transit bus route 1, stop 36) and is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For additional information, visit the website at http://las-cruces.org/museums or call 575/541-2154.