#DismantlePreservation was hosted July 26-30, 2021! The unconference worked to continue pushing cultural resource conversations in a range of directions and featured current students/recent graduates from around the world!
Click on the presentation title to view the recording or visit this link to check out the full recording playlist. Click here to learn about the other presentations and presenters.
Presentations hosted on July 29:
In this presentation, (Re)claiming Memories Research Lab will highlight the histories of some of Cementerio San José’s inhabitants. We hope that this presentation can shed light on the importance of oral histories in documenting the histories of historically excluded communities.
Speaker: Diana M. Hernández, MA; (Re)claiming Memories; Website, Email, Facebook, Instagram
Through the process of interviewing employees at the UD Manuscript and Special Collections I was able to map the system in which objects flow through the collections and identify strengths and weaknesses at each point in the system. This research is in its initial stages but the overarching goal is to apply systems thinking to communication in cultural heritage institutions in order to identify strengths and weaknesses in communication and improve the communication system overall.
Speaker: Nylah Byrd (she/her), Winterthur/ University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation Graduate Fellow; Portfolio, LinkedIn, Twitter
Special announcements regarding the 2021 40 Under 40 List, 2022 Dismantle Preservation, and more
From our experience working to start a multiple property site listing for the historic Illinois Black Panther Party, we uncovered the destruction of the Fred Hampton House and countless other historical properties due to the destruction of Chicago's south and west sides. So we will be discussing how the connection to property in the national register harms the history of marginalized communities who can't afford to own the property of historic places for long periods of time. Furthermore, can we expect the city of Chicago to preserve Illinois Black Panther Party Sites if in the 60's they maliciously killed members, harassed them, and tries to prevent them from any community organization?
Speaker(s): Mikey Spehn (he/they) Public History Graduate Student at Loyola University, Union Steward at TWU Local 320; Website, LinkedIn
Leila Willis
Adam Yunis (he/him) Public History Graduate Student at Loyola University; Website
In this presentation, I will discuss the multi-hazards surrounding historic burial grounds in St. James and Ascension Parishes of Louisiana. The results of this study indicate that racialized multi-hazard exposure of cemeteries should be an emerging concern of Gulf Coast disaster recovery planners and researchers.
Speaker: Jennifer Blanks, PhD Candidate, M.S. Environmental Science; Linktree
Lightning Talk: Beyond Memorialization: Expanding Holocaust Commemoration
Holocaust commemoration worldwide has produced diverse and profound tributes to victims but has rarely honored survivors or refugees. Through the lens of Washington Heights, NYC, once one of the largest communities of Holocaust refugees in the world, and based on oral histories, this lightning talk argues for expanding Holocaust commemoration to include celebration of the lives of survivors and refugees. By commemorating this community, we can add a new layer of understanding to the Holocaust and better understand how refugees and survivors persevered in their new homes, ideally counteracting contemporary opposition to refugees and immigrants in the process.
Speaker: Emily R. Kahn, Project Consultant, NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project; LinkedIn
Panel Discussion: Queering Preservation: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Telling LGBTQ Stories
Approaches to preserving the LGBTQ community are as varied as the community that is being documented. This panel will approach different methodologies of LGBTQ preservation, from oral histories and podcasts to archival and sociological approaches, and will discuss the ethics of collecting and telling these important stories. The panel will also go into navigating the trials and tribulations of taking care of oneself when the subject of queer heritage often hits close to home.
Moderator: Mx. Ty Ginter (xe/xem; they/them), Queer historian and historic preservationist. Founder of D.C. Dykaries; D.C. Dykaries Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Panelists:
Ms. Sarah I. Rodriguez (she/her), Public and oral historian; Twitter, LinkedIn
Mr. Marcus Brooks (he/him), Sociologist; Twitter, Website
Ms. Emma Johansen (they/them; she/her), historian and archivist; Twitter, Website
Bec Roldan (they/them), chemistry PhD student and podcaster; Twitter, LinkedIn, Podcast Twitter
Alexis Rodriguez (he/his) History Graduate Student and vice president of the LGBTQ History Museum of Central Florida; LinkedIn