Statement of Significance (as of designation - September 20, 2006):
Dorchester Academy is the primary site associated with the Citizenship Education Program of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). The SCLC established the Citizenship Education program to educate disenfranchised southern blacks about their rights as citizens and to equip them with the knowledge necessary to pass the voter registration tests, including literacy skills and administered the Citizenship Education Program during the civil rights movement with the goal of obtaining equality for southern blacks and bringing an end to discriminatory practices through nonviolent direct action. Between 1961 and 1970, when Dorchester served as the main training center, the Citizenship Education Program established 897 Citizenship Education Schools throughout the South, trained more than 10,000 teachers, and was directly responsible for a substantial increase in registered black voters. Furthermore, Dorchester Academy Boys’ Dormitory is associated with Septima Poinsette Clark, who is recognized as the queen mother of the Civil Rights Movement, due to her work in citizenship education and voting rights. She oversaw the Citizenship Education Program from its inception in the South Carolina Sea Islands in 1956 until it ended in 1970, and is responsible for developing the citizenship school model.

Condition:
Parts of the foundation of the building has rotted and the floors is falling in, the building is sinking, bricks are seperating and cracking in areas.The roof is leaking causing more damage to many areas. The sofits is rotting and falling.

The stewards have taken steps to raise money for stabilization and rehabilitation, and have won several small local grants that have funded minor repairs such as 1) patching leaking areas of the roof, 2) painting, 3) repairing floor areas and shoring up the foundation, 4) installing security cameras, and 5) adding protective covering to windows and doors. Despite these accomplishments, much more rehabilitation, and therefore funding, is required to preserve this resource.