Race and Preservation

Also discussed at the HDC annual meeting was the issues concering Race and Preservation. Historic preservation in America began as a movement to preserve monuments to the great figures of mainstream American history. The Panelists addressed the issue of why historic preservation has been traditionally focused on that narrow perspective of local and national history and how current examples of preservation are being incorporated into sites and communities of diverse cultures. The discussion tackled the question of how preservation can better appeal to communities that are either newly arrived or more concerned with social issues.

Harlem historian, preservationist and author Michael Henry Adams will moderate the panel, which will include: former City Councilmember Bill Perkins; professor of urban affairs and planning at Hunter College Tom Agnotti; and professor of history and director of the Rutgers Institute on Ethnicity, Culture and the Modern Experience and history professor Clement Price.