The legacy, the purpose, and the work underway
M Street High School was defined by uncompromising academic standards—insisting on intellectual rigor, faculty excellence, and curricular parity at a time when Black students were routinely denied all three. Education at M Street served as a force for racial uplift and institutional change.
M Street Center is reimagining the historic M Street High School building as a Black Cultural Space of Excellence—an active civic institution that supports growth and participation in public life through history, youth leadership, culture, and innovation.
At M Street Center, people are supported as they connect with M Street's legacy, engage in learning and creative work, and explore new directions—developing the confidence, judgment, and agency to navigate their own lives and participate meaningfully in their communities.
Sharing the stories of M Street's trailblazers and their impacts through performance, archives, and public conversations—connecting past achievements to the present and future.
M Street Center is not a museum of the past. It is a civic platform that concentrate talent, ideas, and leadership—continuing the work M Street High School began and asserting its relevance in the present.
College Bound | Foundation for the Preservation of Affordable Housing | Hilltop Microfinance Initiative | Kidz Care Unlimited | Little Friends for Peace | Pathway Homes | Perry Family Health Center | Sursum Corda Cooperative
We offer space for events and meetings.
We have tenant spaces available for rent.
Contact: William T. Jolley, Executive Director
We are restoring our building as a permanent civic anchor—ensuring it serves future generations while demonstrating that cultural stewardship, environmental responsibility, and community investment go hand in hand.