About

Founded in 2010, The Friends of the African American Heritage Trail (FAAHT) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, interpreting, promoting, and sharing Mobile, Alabama, and the surrounding region's rich African American history and cultural heritage. The organization recognizes that understanding the present-day African American community requires an understanding of the people, places, events, and experiences that shaped its history. Through historic preservation, education, community engagement, tourism, and charitable programming, FAAHT works to preserve and make these important stories accessible to local students, residents, visitors, researchers, and future generations. This mission builds upon the organization’s longstanding commitment to preserving sites associated with Mobile’s African American community and educating the public about African American history from slavery through the present day.

A primary way FAAHT fulfills this mission is through the Dora Franklin Finley African American Heritage Trail, which connects the public to the people, places, and events that shaped Mobile’s African American experience. Through guided tours, historical interpretation, educational programs, special events, and community partnerships, the Trail brings history beyond the pages of textbooks and allows participants to experience it in the places where it occurred.

The Dr. James Franklin Sr. Historic House & Gallery further advances FAAHT’s mission by providing a permanent cultural and educational space where African American history, heritage, art, and community life can be preserved, interpreted, and shared. As a historic site, museum, gallery, and community resource, the Franklin House provides opportunities for exhibitions, educational programs, historical research, tours, lectures, cultural events, and partnerships that deepen public understanding of Mobile’s African American experience.

These initiatives connect residents and visitors to Mobile's African American history while fostering cultural awareness, community pride, and economic opportunities through heritage tourism. Ultimately, FAAHT is committed to preserving this invaluable legacy and ensuring that its stories continue to educate, inspire, and empower future generations.