DURHAM -- Preservation Durham has received an $88,000 grant to implement a plan to identify, document and preserve historically African-American sites in Durham.
This Partners in the Field matching grant comes from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and will be matched by local funds for this three-year project. Preservation Durham saw this an as opportunity to answer requests from the community for more support to identify and preserve historic African-American sites.
Historically, black communities face threats of neglect, aggressive development, demolition, highway construction and university expansion, according to a Preservation Durham news release.
Protecting historic resources protects stories that relate to American and local identity.
Preservation Durham saw this as an opportunity to compliment the ongoing preservation efforts of "Black Wall Street" by the city of Durham and the Parrish Street Advocacy Group and the Pauli Murray Project by the Duke Human Rights Center, to focus on sites that connect us to the lives of ordinary people who also contributed to Durham's history.
The organization has April Johnson to work with communities to identify, document and create a plan for the preservation of heritage sites. Johnson graduated from the University of Virginia with a master's in Urban & Environmental Planning and a master's certificate in Historic Preservation. The project is guided by a steering committee of members of the black community representing different interests. Lew Myers of The Freelon Group chairs the committee.
Through community engagement, a series of meetings, workshops and other projects, Johnson will understand what the community considers historic, develop priorities and assist in devising a plan for preservation. North Carolina Central University and UNC Chapel Hill students will also participate by getting course credit to work on projects to interpret and document history. For information and to participate, contact April Johnson at 919-682-3036 or april@preservationdurham.org.
