They Do What They Do

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Hello Everyone:

Yours Truly is coming off a very long and very scary weekend.  As you all may well know, this past Saturday was a National Day of Protest and the scene outside Blogger's window was something straight out of Apocalypse Now.  It was the day set aside for men and women to come together to demonstrate against the ongoing use of lethal force against African Americans.  The catalyst for this day was the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  What made it so tragic is that it could have been completely avoided if someone showed Mr. Floyd a little compassion, offered to pay for his purchase.  This is Yours Truly being an idealist.  Blogger is a realist and believes that the continuing pattern of institutional racism and bigotry is at the very root of the ever growing socio-economic-cultural divide in the United States.  Although we cannot solve by waving a magic wand--if it was only that easy--we can take all make an effort to bridge the gap.  One way to do that is through historic preservation.

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Yours Truly knows that you all are wondering what does historic preservation have to do with anything at the moment?  Historic preservation is a commitment to saving the places that tell the full story of the United States.  By full story, Yours Truly means the rich history and cultures of all the people that truly make America a great place.  The oft repeated cliche "America is nation of immigrants," is an accurate one.  Since the pre-colonial times, individuals and families have come to its shores to escape persecution and create a new life for themselves.  Their stories are told, in part, through the places they live(d) and work(ed).  The greatest source of historic-cultural heritage have been the African-American community.  Our friends at the National Trust for Historic Preservation recognize the often anonymous contributions of the men and women deserve to publicly be told.

 

Paul Edmondson
President and CEO of the NTHP
savingplaces.org

On Saturday, May 30, NHTP president and CEO Paul Edmondson posted a statement in the wake of George Floyd's death.  Mr. Edmondson wrote,

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has made a commitment as an institution to ensure that our own work reflects the equal value of every single American in our history and in our culture... (savingplaces.org; May 30, 2020; date accessed June 1, 2020)

This includes places of America's dark past.  Mr. Edmondson's statement goes on to highlight the work the NTHP has done to preserve the home of Madame C.J. Walker and the Rosenwald School as well the African-American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, created in the aftermath of the horrific events in Charlottesville three years ago.  Mr. Edmondson continues,

We believe that historic preservation can play a critical role in acknowledging and healing in our nation, by telling the full story of our often-difficult history... (savingplaces.org; May 30, 2020).

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 Why does historic preservation matter in the first place?  In remarks to the Saving Places Conference in 2011, former NTHP president and CEO Stephanie K. Meeks cited the Rialto movie theater in Loveland, Colorado as an example why preservationists do what they.  Ms. Meeks said,

...I mention the Rialto because it's a great example of what I want to talk about today, which is the sense of continuity and connection that preservation provides.  Few pursuits have so much potential to bring us together as a people, and we need that now more than ever, with all the complicated challenges facing us... (Ibid)

Very prescient words.  Preservation is also reminds us that we are not the first generation to deal with economic hardship, environmental decline, the growing socio-political gap.  This is not the first generation to wonder whether the American discourse is on the right path or who we are in the world.  Our ancestors were also faced with these challenges and the opportunities they present.  They survived and flourished.  So can we.

Historic preservation requires something from each us,

Each of us, in our own communities, businesses, and institutions at all levels, must commit to do all we can create constructive spaces where justice and peace can flourish--including those places that reflect our history as Americans... (architecturalrecord.com; June 1, 2020)

This is not an easy commitment to make because it requires each and every one of us to step out of the bubble of our individual daily existence and take a serious look at the places we live in now.  To listen carefully and acknowledge to the voices of the our fellow member of humanity.  It does not mean we have to always agree with each, that would be problematic.  If the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Kelly, so many others are to mean something, it should be that now, more than ever historic preservation can play a vital role in examining our history and finding a way forward.

Given the current fraught circumstances, historic preservation may seem like a frivolous pursuit.  However, Yours Truly asks you to consider this: A building is also a historic document of the time it was made.  It can tell us about the people and events connected with it.  It can tell us about the struggles and joys they brought.  Without some record of a time and place, a history gets erased.  This is why preservationists do what they do;