Feature Article: Preserving Whose History?
P RE SE RVI NG WH OS E HISTORY? W h i t e n e s s a n d H i s t o r i c Pre s e r v at i o n i n Ca m b r i d g e , M a s s a c h u s e tt s
DAVI DA SILVA Davi da Silva completed his graduate studies in Medical Engineering/Medical Physics at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2020. Outside of his research, he was involved in
student organizing and activism around affordable housing in Cambridge.
ABSTR ACT Problem, Approach, and Findings Whose geographies get to be considered “historic?” We attempt to answer this question in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a centuriesold city with a varied history, by comparing the location of National Register of Historic Places and other landmarks to the city’s 20th-century “redlining” maps. From this, we see that the current distribution of protected and visible sites privileges white geographies, despite the clear existence of Black people and landmarks in the city’s history. Implications From these results and an examination of the context of a few particular sites, we argue that there are procedural and other structural factors that may privilege white history in the designation of historic protections. Moreover, we argue that given the entrenchment of racism throughout United States history, historic preservation is a project inherently tied to white supremacy. Planners and activists must consider the implications of glorifying a city’s (racist) history in discussions about the future of historic preservation.
58
