In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

• Learning From the PastWhat Is Black Heritage?
• Charlette Caldwell (bio) and Anna Gasha (bio)

Introduction

Since the summer of 2020, the surge in mainstream media coverage of structural racial inequities that continue to plague the United States—particularly on, but not limited to, the brutal police murders of Black Americans—has prompted the preservation field to turn an introspective gaze toward its White-centered historical foundations, assumptions, and practices.¹ Among the calls for change are demands for better representation of Black heritage sites and narratives; increased opportunities to include and uplift Black preservationists and their work; and a more nuanced understanding of Black identity and positionality to inform the preservation of Black historic sites. Preservation and the production of heritage are cultural processes, pieces within a larger cultural and historical domain that bolster certain narratives over others. As Michel-Rolph Trouillot writes in Silencing the Past, silences and gaps are “inherent” in historical production, inevitably privileging certain narratives over others.² And although recent efforts have been made to rectify past racial inequities as it relates to silenced or muted narratives at recognized and protected heritage sites, more can be done to understand and uncover the specificities of what constitutes “Black” heritage and its association with “Blackness” and its history in the United States. The goal, then, is to consider: How might we rectify past (and continued) injustices and misunderstandings when preserving and interpreting sites of Black heritage?

As part of this anthology’s work to add to current conversations and create space for new ideas and approaches, we, as guest editors, ask the following questions: What is Black heritage? How can preservationists look both at and beyond built and tangible environments to educate ourselves on Black American culture and history? In addition, and most importantly, what do preservationists need to understand on what constitutes “Blackness” and its historical contextuality if the field is to actively engage in calls for change without further perpetuating exclusion and violence? These questions do not lend themselves to easy answers. However, it is worthwhile to begin fleshing out further points of discussion beyond what has been established when preserving Black heritage. Accordingly, this anthology positions itself as a conversation starter, identifying areas for reflection while foregrounding Black voices [End Page 1] from the past. This conversation seeks to offer fresh insights on contemporary modes of preservation and represent the relationship between past and present.

The underrepresentation of Black American heritage sites and the lack of legislation to preserve these places are, by now, widely recognized, despite recent efforts to rectify this issue.³ Recent scholarship typically cites that only 8 percent of all listings on the United States’ National Register and National Historic Landmarks represent African American, Latinx, Asian American, Native American, and Native Hawaiian sites.⁴ Accordingly, Black American sites alone constitute even less than 8 percent of sites protected by designation at the federal level. If, in response, preservationists seek to identify, interpret, and conserve more heritage sites associated with Black culture and history, it is imperative that this work is undertaken sensitively and appropriately. There is no singular “correct” approach in dealing with and presenting Black narratives. However, it is incumbent upon the field to carefully consider traditional and alternative methods, intentions, and public-facing end products—not to mention the field’s own historical positionality as a White-dominated profession—to ensure that our efforts are not inadvertently misrepresenting Black heritage, or perpetuating legacies of injustice and exclusion.

In doing so, historical perspectives not typically regarded as canonical “preservation” texts, like those presented in this volume, are critical in reorienting the field and its conception of “heritage.” These texts range from pamphlets to autobiographies, works of both nonfiction and fiction, by both male and female authors, demonstrating a range of cultural activity and influence that provides more fertile ground for the field to test and challenge traditional and alternative approaches to preservation. The past heavily continues to inform the power dynamics inherent within heritage preservation in the United States and, consequently, the terms on which Black activists have continued to demand redress for historical wrongs. It is essential to pay attention to variegated voices from the past, and...

中文翻译：

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向过去学习：什么是黑人遗产？

代替摘要，这里是内容的简短摘录：

• 向过去学习什么是黑人遗产？
• 查莱特考德威尔（生物）和安娜加莎（生物）

介绍

自 2020 年夏季以来，主流媒体对继续困扰美国的结构性种族不平等的报道激增——尤其是但不限于警察残忍杀害美国黑人的事件——促使保护领域开始反思其以白人为中心的历史基础、假设和实践。^1个变革的呼声包括要求更好地代表黑人遗址和故事；增加包括和提升黑人保护主义者及其工作的机会；以及对黑人身份和地位的更细致的理解，以便为黑人历史遗址的保护提供信息。遗产的保护和生产是文化过程，是更大的文化和历史领域中的片段，它们支持某些叙述而不是其他叙述。正如米歇尔-罗尔夫·特鲁伊洛 (Michel-Rolph Trouillot) 在《让过去沉默》(Silenceing the Past)中所写，沉默和差距在历史生产中是“固有的”，不可避免地使某些叙述优先于其他叙述。^2个尽管最近已经做出努力来纠正过去的种族不平等，因为它与公认和受保护的遗产地的沉默或沉默的叙述有关，但还可以做更多的工作来理解和揭示什么构成“黑人”遗产的特殊性及其与“黑人”的联系”及其在美国的历史。那么，我们的目标是考虑：在保护和解释黑人遗产遗址时，我们如何纠正过去（和持续存在的）不公正和误解？

作为本选集增加当前对话并为新想法和新方法创造空间的工作的一部分，作为客座编辑，我们提出以下问题：什么是黑人遗产？保护主义者如何看待并超越建筑和有形环境来教育我们自己关于美国黑人文化和历史的知识？此外，最重要的是，如果该领域要在不进一步延续排斥和暴力的情况下积极参与变革呼吁，那么保护主义者需要了解什么是“黑人”及其历史背景？这些问题并不适合简单的答案。然而，除了在保护黑人遗产时已经确立的内容之外，值得开始充实进一步的讨论要点。因此，这本选集将自己定位为对话的开场白，[结束第1页]从过去。本次对话旨在提供对当代保护模式的新见解，并展示过去与现在之间的关系。

尽管最近努力纠正这个问题，但到目前为止，美国黑人遗产地的代表性不足以及缺乏保护这些地方的立法已得到广泛认可。³最近的学术研究通常指出，在美国国家名录和国家历史地标的所有清单中，只有 8% 代表非裔美国人、拉丁裔、亚裔美国人、美洲原住民和夏威夷原住民遗址。^4个因此，仅美国黑人网站就占联邦一级指定保护网站的不到 8%。作为回应，如果保护主义者试图识别、解释和保护更多与黑人文化和历史相关的遗产地，那么这项工作就必须以敏感和适当的方式进行。在处理和呈现黑人叙事时，没有单一的“正确”方法。然而，该领域有责任仔细考虑传统和替代方法、意图和面向公众的最终产品——更不用说该领域自身作为白人主导的职业的历史地位——以确保我们的努力不会无意中歪曲黑人遗产，或延续不公正和排斥的遗产。

在这样做的过程中，通常不被视为经典“保护”文本的历史观点，如本卷中呈现的那些，对于重新定位该领域及其“遗产”概念至关重要。这些文本的范围从小册子到自传，既有非虚构作品也有虚构作品，作者既有男性也有女性，展示了一系列文化活动和影响，为该领域测试和挑战传统和替代保护方法提供了更肥沃的土壤。过去在很大程度上继续影响着美国遗产保护中固有的权力动态，因此，黑人活动家继续要求纠正历史错误所依据的条款。必须注意过去的各种声音，并且...