IN-PERSON: Prague – Section B

Abstract

Since the early twenty-first century, Oberlin Village, a historically African American neighborhood in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA has been a center for interdisciplinary and community-driven initiatives that exemplify the varied methods and standpoints of present heritage scholarship and activism. Led by the Friends of Oberlin Village, a community organization founded by descendants in 2011, and involving academics, local citizens, and governmental partners, these award-winning initiatives have resulted in a diverse range of programs, products, and publications. Examples of these public history efforts include, designating Oberlin Village as a local Historic Overlay District, listing Oberlin Cemetery on the US National Register of Historic Places, implementing educational programs, and planning and installing public art. In this paper, we discuss political, social, and intellectual practices and processes that have contributed to the successes and challenges in Oberlin Village public history work. We argue Oberlin Village initiatives have used a heritage framework to contribute to conversations and efforts related to broader issues of racial justice, city planning, civic engagement, historic preservation, and social change in the surrounding cultural landscape. For example, local commercial and educational institutions previously named for problematic historical figures who engaged in racist actions have been renamed following significant debates about public memory and the legacies of historical racism. Through such examples, we demonstrate that Oberlin Village heritage projects are a powerful model for collaborative historical and anthropological research, education, community engagement and political activism, and historic preservation.