Woodson Early Childhood Center donated to ICAN nonprofit

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – During the December school board meeting for the Abilene Independent School District, the board voted to donate the historic Woodson Early Childhood Center to the Interested Citizens of Abilene North (ICAN).

The unanimous decision was reached after six months of discussions following the announcement that the district was considering selling the property. Once this news became public, community members and alumni rallied together to preserve the first Black school in Abilene, which existed prior to integration.

Andrew Penns, Director of ICAN, is the head of that committee. He said that acquiring the property was hard work, but now the real hard work begins.

“That was a historical moment also and a special type, and I really enjoyed several owners who were products of that school. We can now claim ownership,” Penns said. “To get it secured there, get it ready for the work that needs to be done and the safety of the building. That’s going to be a process, so and then the legal aspects of it in the beginning.”

Alumni of Woodson Elementary, James Moore, told KTAB/KRBC that when he went to school, it was a place of encouragement and enlightenment.

“It was a learning experience because the teachers and administrators gave us the ability to dream that we could be anything and do anything that we needed to do. It was a source of strength in the Black community,” Moore said.

As the first space dedicated to education for the Black community in Abilene, Moore expressed hope that it can continue to be the beacon of light it once was.

“To let it be the focal point of people in surrounding the Black community to say, okay, we could come here, and this is something that we can share and that we could utilize that we don’t have to go to outsource areas,” Moore said.

The project is accepting donations through the Abilene Black Chamber of Commerce. Although plans are not finalized, Penn hopes to start in 2025.