We don’t talk about displacement and gentrification nearly enough. The federal, state, and local regulations that govern many of the most important preservation mechanisms reflect bias against communities of color. Preservation has been complicit in extending and valorizing white dominance. In a June 2020 blog for the National Trust’s Preservation Leadership Forum, architectural and urban historian Marisa Brown wrote of “Preservation’s Existential Crisis.” She acknowledged how today’s preservation movement needs a more complete, inclusive representation of communities across the nation, and that failing to respond to the broader social reckoning puts the field at risk of becoming obsolete. Together, these practices contribute to a culture of inequity that many in the field are now speaking openly about. Finally, the preservation field, together with other cultural organizations, is grappling with issues surrounding labor equity, including disparities in compensation, advancement, and racism (both latent and overt). Additionally, there is a lack of diversity and representation among professionals in the field, with African-Americans for example accounting for less than 1% of preservation practitioners. In San Francisco, less than 10% of the city’s landmarks are designated for their cultural associations with African-American, Asian and Pacific Islander, Latinx, or LGBTQ histories. has primarily invested in maintaining White spaces, and, for much of American history, little was done to protect Black and other spaces historically significant to people of color. Historically, the preservation movement in the U.S. In the wake of the unjust murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, many in the preservation community are confronting issues of race and equity hiding in plain sight. The field of preservation is undergoing profound changes. This piece is excerpted from the October-December 2020 issue of Heritage News. It shows that people can be united and experience peace through the magic of music. Mural in the outdoor dining area of San Francisco legacy business Cafe International, at 508 Haight Street, painted in 1994 by artist Kemit Amenophis.
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