Preserving our Past, Shaping our Future

Empowering communities to connect, preserve, and celebrate Black history through grassroots preservation and digital storytelling.

Collage of historical and cultural images including a railroad sign, a young boy, a bus, a woman and child, a man in a suit, a woman in traditional hat, and birds, with a quote about the importance of understanding past history, origin, and culture.

Our Roots

We believe that by leveraging digital platforms, advocating for greater access and protection of cultural sites, and empowering grassroots efforts, we can combat the erasure of Black stories and provide communities with the resources and support they need to sustain their preservation initiatives. 

Blacks in Preservation by the Numbers

Thousands of stories untold. Thousands of sites to preserve.

  • 95,000 Historic Sites

    but only 3% of sites focus on the experiences of Black Americans. (2024, The National Register of Historic Places List)  

  • 4% Black Professionals

    Only 4% of professionals in the historic preservation field are Black. (2019, US Bureau of Labor Statistics)

  • Less than 10%

    of nationally significant civil rightssites are protected by the National Park Service or local historic registries. (National Parks Conservation Association)

  • 8% U.S. Historical Markers

    celebrate Black history, while 32%honor the Confederacy. (2024, Public Religion Research Institute)

  • 76% Less Funding

    Black-led nonprofits receive 76%less funding than White-led ones, limiting resources for preserving African-American cultural institutions. (2024, Bridgespan Group & Echoing Green)

  • Only 5 Black Figures

    Just 5 of the Top 50 most commemorated figures are Black, underscoring a significant gap in Black representation in public monuments. (2023, Monument Lab)

Featured Stories

Explore preservation efforts at every level—local, regional, and national. Meet the change-makers shaping and preserving our heritage, and discover how you can join their work and support their initiatives.

Featured
(S1E3) Preservation for the People: Friends of the Tanner House
(S1E3) Preservation for the People: Friends of the Tanner House

A North Philly community saved Henry Ossawa Tanner’s childhood rowhouse and aims to transform it into a community hub where art, faith, culture, and creativity ignite a liberated, heritage-driven future.

(S1E2) A Promised Land: Mound Bayou Museum of Culture and History
(S1E2) A Promised Land: Mound Bayou Museum of Culture and History

Founded in 1887 by formerly enslaved visionaries, Mound Bayou’s museum and living legacy—from trailblazing medical institutions and the 1982 Caravan of Hope to original civil-rights treasures and Hollywood-donated film sets—honor nearly 140 years of Black resilience and self-determination.

Keep up with the Black
Preservation Stories Podcast

The Black Preservation Stories podcast showcases the inspiring grassroots efforts of Black individuals, groups, and communities working to preserve and celebrate their heritage across the United States.  Through initiatives including saving historic buildings, restoring sacred sites, and developing museums, these efforts honor Black history and highlight cultural resilience.

A conference table with two headsets, a sound mixer, and a sign that reads 'Don't Erase Bellevue's Black History' with hashtags #ProtectBellevueMD and a website address. The background shows a window and beige walls.

An Interactive Map: Black Roots Across America

A key feature of BGHPN is our interactive map, which provides detailed profiles of grassroots preservation projects across the United States.

Map of the United States with numerous icons indicating locations, possibly representing voting or polling sites, spread across various states.

It takes a community to preserve history. Help spread our roots.