What is it about?
The hidden histories of Black towns from post-Reconstruction, namely Nicodemus, Kansas, and Colonel Allensworth, California, can provide public awareness of the black experience. In this article, we draw upon previous research by the authors to further emphasize and compare designation outcomes related to representation, equity-based preservation planning, and maintenance backlogs issues.
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Why is it important?
Consideration of this study's findings, recommendations, and suggested best practices could provide meaningful preservation change for the Nicodemus National Historic Site, Allensworth State Historic Park, and other similar African American historical sites. To improve access to preservation resources and fair distributions in preservation planning, an equity-based preservation agenda is required. Preservation agents in the US need to further analyze culturally appropriate practices for African American preservation planning, from an equity-based approach. In doing so, public knowledge would be increased about the African American experience and could positively impact the current racial climate.
Perspectives
My hope is that this article will generate the needed changes at African American historical sites like Nicodemus, Allensworth, and others that are experiencing similar preservation and social issues. As a scholar who is a descendant of formerly enslaved African Americans, it is truly an honor to prepare such a report, and my hope is that this scholarship will be useful to preservationists and policymakers for years to come.
Ashley Adams
Northeastern University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Historic Designation Planning for the Nicodemus National Historic Site and Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park: A Cross-Case Analysis of Representation in Public Memory, Equity-Based Preservation Planning, and Maintenance Backlogs, Great Plains Quarterly, March 2023, Project Muse,
DOI: 10.1353/gpq.2023.a908053.
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