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New Mexico school building gets historic designation

An elementary school in southern New Mexico that served for more than a quarter-century as a segregated school for African-American students has been added to the national list of historic places.

Paul Laurence Dunbar Elementary was as a four-room school from 1926 until 1957. It has since served as the city of Vado's community center and home to a federal program that promotes school readiness for low-income families.

Vado residents gathered Tuesday to celebrate the building's historic designation, which became official on the last day of Black History Month.

The school, named after renowned poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, was constructed after a 1925 state law permitted racial segregation in public schools.

The school is among six surviving schools built during segregation in New Mexico.

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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com

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