Shockhoe Bottom in Richmond, Va., was once one of the largest trading markets for enslaved people in the United States, but it was later paved over. The site is now preserved by the National Trust for Historic Preservation African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.
Greenbelters heard Lawana Holland-Moore, program officer of the fund, highlight various sites like this in a lecture
organized by the Greenbelt Museum. Delivered virtually on Thursday, February 24, the lecture, titled Saving Black History Sites, centered on African American historical site preservation efforts to tell untold stories of our shared history.
The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s $70-million initiative, committed to crafting a narrative that expands the public’s view of history by telling the full story of African American historic sites. The fund also goes toward preserving and promoting a national identity that reflects the nation’s true identity.
The action fund is the largest preservation effort ever undertaken to support African American historic sites.
Holland-Moore says of the National Trust’s efforts, “By elevating the stories and places, we look to not only understand our past, but also create opportunities for dialogue and to form stronger arguments for how to link preservation to the honoring of our ancestors, and the honoring of ourselves.”
The fund keeps historic places alive by uncovering and making stories visible through collaboration with and the dedication of grassroot advocates, preservationists, scholars, politicians and the community itself.
Holland-Moore highlighted various sites that have been preserved by the fund, including Shockhoe Bottom in Richmond. Through the fund’s efforts, she said, this sacred space is no longer in danger of being overlooked or forgotten, but is now a place to remember as a memorial park. Sites in Charlottesville, Va., and Charleston, S.C., were highlighted as well to show the work the National Trust has already done in preserving African American historic sites.
Holland-Moore went on to explain how the action plan has entered its fifth year of a national grant program. The original goal was $25 million which has now almost tripled thanks to contributions by philanthropists and churches. Since January 2018, the National Trust has vetted over 2,000 project proposals, requesting over $190 million in preserving historic sites.
Though the focus of this lecture was on how the fund works in preserving historic sites, Holland-Moore also included information on women’s initiatives, specifically for African American women as well as for LGBTQ+, by the National Trust to achieve greater quality, recognition, legal standing and respect for generations of both communities.
Toward the end of the lecture, Holland-Moore left the audience with the question: “What story needs to be heard today?” There are many stories to be shared that contribute to the understanding of who we are as Americans and the National Trust wants to hear them.
To learn more about the African American Cultural Heritage Fund and how to help tell a story, visit SavingPlaces.org.
Haley Kerby is a University of Maryland journalism student serving as an intern for the News Review this semester.