Although for much of the semester we have been discussing historians as the arbiters of objective preservation and facilitators in the process of historical research and interpretation there is a place for historians as activists. It is a basic fact of the discipline of history that there is no historical argument that is made without just that an argument. Public historians and their public facing roll are in a special position in which they can engage with a variety of individuals in different sectors. This can include everyone from government officials to city planners and architects to locals.

In Andrew Hurley’s Beyond Preservation, Hurley discusses the importance of urban preservation as a means for urban districts to preserve themselves and avoid issues like gentrification and “physical annihilation.” (Hurley, 95). Examples of this type of initiative can be seen in the Orlando area in places like Georgetown which was recently named on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the hope that with this designation the neighborhood can stave off gentrification, however the businesses in Georgetown, which were historically all Black-owned have visibly suffered from the slow enroachment of gentrification.

Another good example of public historians as activists is the collaboration between Dr. French’s Digital Tools class and the preserve Eatonville project. The Preserve Eatonville project seeks to preserve the integrity and history of Eatonville one of the earliest incorporated black towns in the country established in the late 19th century. Despite efforts by developers to erode the history and borders of Eatonville most recently the last 100 acres of the Hungerford School which has been offered up for Sale by the Orange County Public School District, the Preserve Eatonville community have fought to recognize and remember Eatonville’s history in a way that encourages local activism and acknowledgement of the importance of the history of Eatonville as a Black space. Dr. French’s class is working to gather primary sources related to the history of the Hungerford School and the town of Eatonville and then present them through carefully created digital projects. It is Dr. French’s hope that these projects can be of use to Preserve Eatonville and inspire locals to continue fighting for the preservation of their local history.

Bibliography

Cauvin, Thomas. “Civic Engagement and Social Justice: Historians as Activists.” In Public History. 230-249. 1st ed. New York: Routledge, 2016.

Hurley, Andrew. Beyond Preservation: Using Public History to Revitalize Inner Cities. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2010.