Community Q&A
Who Tells Your Story Matthew Gilbert on wielding the power of local government to tell stories, save buildings and bring equity to Iowa history. BY MIKE KUHLENBECK
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atthew Gilbert’s great grandfather, Dr. Lee Burton Furgerson, is an Iowa legend. He was one of the first Black doctors in Waterloo. He contributed to the Iowa Bystander, the state’s leading Black publication. He joined prominent civil rights attorney Milton Fields and Judge William Parker in co-founding a Black bank in 1947 called Blackhawk Savings and Loan Association. In the late ’80s, the building that housed that bank was demolished. “They tore it down and turned it into a parking garage,” Gilbert said. “What’s in place of it is a mural, but it doesn’t speak to the story.” “We talk about the power of place and the power of belonging, and often Black and brown people don’t really have that experience, even just walking through their own neighborhoods.” Gilbert is a licensed attorney, the chair of the Economic Development Committee for the Des Moines NAACP, president of the nonprofit Iowa Center for Opportunity Resources & Equity Inc. and CEO of MRG & Associates LLP, among other nonprofit, private sector and public service positions. But Gilbert’s dedication to Iowa history is put to work on the Waterloo Historic Preservation Commission, where he feels a responsibility to preserve more than just architecture. “More importantly, [we’re] helping communities find a voice at the table when it comes to planning and the protection of buildings, properties and neighborhoods,” he said in an interview with Little Village. “It’s really important to help Black and brown Americans
understand and see themselves as a part of American history.” Some answers have been edited for length and clarity. How did you become involved with historic preservation efforts? The history of Iowa has been
such a huge part of my life and my journey of discovering who I am. A lot of my family has been very integral as pioneers of Iowa’s history, especially through civil rights here in Iowa. Part of it was a passion and a love, and another part of it was being trained with the skill sets to really navigate this arena for the voices that are often unheard.
Matthew Gilbert in front of the Walnut Street Baptist Church in Waterloo, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Courtesy of MRGTM
What are some of the things you have learned since joining the Waterloo Historic Preservation Commission? One
of the first things I learned is how much influence and power certified local governments (CLGs) really have. Secondly, I learned that I have to be an advocate in this role, otherwise I’m doing many communities a disservice. Being an advocate really means showing up, not just for my own interests but to show up for the interests of those who may be unable to show up ... making sure I found a gateway so the community had a sense of historic preservation literacy and language, but is also “in the know” about what’s going on, good or bad.
What would you like to tell the readers of Little Village about the significance of historic preservation efforts and why it can help lead to a more just and equitable future? This
historic preservation movement is
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not new, but there is new thought capital that is being added to historic preservation, especially after going through a pandemic and then the racial reckoning that we’ve been having since the murder of George Floyd. To really find a more inclusive narrative, the historic preservation movement is paying more attention not just to the buildings but who the buildings serve, what the buildings’ uses are. Sometimes it’s ugly when it comes to city planning, local government. White wealth and privilege oftentimes shows up in the tax
subsidies on the public side and it shows up in philanthropic or generational wealth on the private side. What ends up happening is we’ll take private wealth, mix it with subsidies, and we’ll spend all that money to restore and preserve the building—the structural elements— but leave no money for the underlying programming. I’m thankful to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the AfricanAmerican Cultural Heritage Fund, because there’s been a lot of shift to not just caring about the structures but also how the structures are being
