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As preservation professionals, we know that repointing brick, stabilizing foundations, retrofitting historic properties with sustainable upgrades, and conducting paint analyses are important parts of the process, but ones that typically happen only after the hard work is done to protect historic places through advocacy and the identification of funding sources to transform buildings into thriving community hubs. Presentations at the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s fall 2023 convenings—PastForward, the National Preservation Law Conference and the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund Leadership Summit—addressed these issues while also illuminating the intersections of heritage, identity, and social justice.

In this edition of Forum Journal, a member benefit of Preservation Leadership Forum, we are publishing transcripts from those presentations, which delve into the transformative power of historic preservation, exploring how it can be harnessed to uplift historically excluded communities and tell stories often neglected in mainstream narratives. By exploring these topics, we aim to foster a deeper understanding of how preserving our diverse histories can empower communities and shape a more just and inclusive future.

Table of Contents

• The Urgency of Saving LGBTQ+ Places by Eric Cervini and Megan Springate (PastForward 2023)
• Purposeful Preservation by Thibault Manekin and David Bowers (Past Forward 2023)
• Legacy and Design at the Nina Simone Childhood Home by Brent Leggs (AACHAF Leadership Summit)
• Institution and Stewardship: Black Churches by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (AACHAF Leadership Summit)
• Monuments & Justice: Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument by Dr. Elizabeth Alexander (AACHAF Leadership Summit)
• What Can Preservation Law Become? by Sara C. Bronin (National Preservation Law Conference)
• The Future of Preservation Law by Paul Edmondson (National Preservation Law Conference)
• Strong Roots, New Growth by Mavis Gragg (National Preservation Law Conference)

How to Access this Issue

Project Muse has been a partner of the National Trust’s for over a decade, serving as digital archive for new issues Forum Journal while also providing access to libraries all across the world to this publication. Starting in January 2024, Project Muse became the one-stop for all current and past issues of Forum Journal (starting with our very first issue in the late 1980s).

In order to access the full archive of Forum Journal members need to create a MyMUSE account associated with the email address on your Forum Membership record. If you don't know what that email is or are having trouble accessing the archive please contact forum@savingplaces.org.