The Black Heritage Resources Task Force was formed in 2020 and was a collaborative endeavor that involved the Society of Black Archaeologists, Society for Historical Archaeology, Society for American Archaeology, and ACRA. The task force had two goals: 1) to collect data on the management of Black cultural resources and on consultation with Black stakeholders in preservation/archaeology across the US and its territories, and 2) based on the evidence, to come up with recommendations to promote diversity and inclusion in these areas. Task force members reviewed 53 state preservation plans, conducted online research of African American historic context studies and Multiple Property Nominations, and circulated two surveys to SHPOs/THPOs and State Archaeologists. During this process, task force members consulted with Erik Hein (Director of NCSHPO), Josh Torres at NPS, and Brad Jones (State Archaeologist of Texas).
The task force has now concluded its work by issuing recommendations to encourage SHPOs/THPOs and State Archaeologists to expand or newly adopt more inclusive practices surrounding their heritage preservation planning, and outreach/consultation/capacity building with Black communities. To that end, the task force produced two documents: 1) a white paper that summarizes the task force’s mission and recommendations, and 2) a longer report that details the task force’s methodologies, results, and recommendations. The report also includes a bibliography of case studies related to Black heritage, and best practices in community outreach, compiled from references submitted by survey respondents. Both documents can be accessed via tDAR here.