Preservation Book Club
As preservationists, what stories do we tell? What histories do we protect? Whose communities are deemed “significant” and worthy of preserving? Historically, we have not done a great job at telling the full story. If you look at the National Register of Historic Places, only a small fraction of sites listed reflect BIPOC, women, or LGBTQ communities. This is a problem.
In the wake of the murder of George Floyd by police in May, the protests against police brutality and white supremacy that rose up brought the fight for racial justice back to the forefront of public consciousness. Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Atatiana Jefferson — the list of Black people killed by police is long. Black lives matter and Black lives have always mattered, but those of us who were privileged enough to be complacent are being forced once again to confront the reality of racism in this country. I lived in St. Louis, MO, in 2014 when Michael Brown was murdered in Ferguson. Protesters rose up then too. They chanted, “Whose streets? Our streets!” And as preservationists, we should never forget that places are only important because of the people who breathe life into them.
All this to say, we have work to do. Some of that work is seeking out diverse perspectives and centering voices and stories too often relegated to the sidelines. We need to confront the inequities present in the field of historic preservation and in our society at large. We need to keep having conversations that explore these issues, even if it makes us uncomfortable. And we want to have some of those conversations with you.
Preservation Book Club is one way we hope to do that. A book club is not a novel idea (pun intended), and it certainly isn’t a solution to systemic injustice, but it is a way to come together and embrace an open dialogue. A book club can be a great way to learn from other perspectives — both those that you read and those from others in the group. Hearing a rural perspective if you’ve lived in cities your whole life can expand your understanding of our diverse communities. Learning about redlining and racial covenants helps make sense of so much disparity in our built environments. And representation matters; if you only read/see/experience stories that center your own lived experience, how can you develop empathy and understanding for people who are different than you? So much of preservation is about building relationships. So are books clubs.
There are so many books on our to-read list and we’d love to have you join us as we dive in. Our first pick: Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead. One of our 2020-2021 Seven to Save Sites is Sag Harbor Hills, Azurest & Ninevah Subdivisions (SANS). This historically African American vacation community on Long Island is threatened by deterioration and development. Despite its National Register status, SANS lacks strong local protection or zoning. The League is working with local groups to enhance the advocacy work that has already begun and catalyze protection for this culturally significant area.
Colson Whitehead won the Pulitzer for The Underground Railroad (2017) and The Nickel Boys (2020). He also grew up spending summers in Sag Harbor. In his novel, he tells a coming-of-age story set with SANS as the backdrop. Throughout August we’ll be spotlighting this Seven to Save listing, and what better way to get a feel for the community than through an engaging story told by someone intimately familiar with this place?
We’ll be checking in on social media as we read Sag Harbor throughout the month of August and we hope you’ll pick up a copy as well. We’ll set up a Zoom to talk about the book sometime around Labor Day, so you have plenty of time to enjoy this perfect summer read.
We have a few more books queued up, but we love recommendations. Visit the Preservation Book Club page to see what else we’re thinking about reading and to reach out with your own suggestions.
Edit: Our Sag Harbor book club meeting will take place on Thursday, September 10 at 4:00 p.m. Click here to register!