As govt director of the African American Cultural Heritage Motion Fund, Brent Leggs is main a nationwide effort to guard and have fun the locations that inform the story of Black America.
Brent Leggs is a visionary chief reworking how America values and preserves its historical past. As govt director of the African American Cultural Heritage Motion Fund and senior vice chairman of the Nationwide Belief for Historic Preservation, he has devoted his profession to defending the areas that inform the story of Black America.
Below his management, the Motion Fund has raised greater than $220 million and invested in practically 400 historic websites nationwide, from the Birmingham Civil Rights Nationwide Monument to Madam C. J. Walker’s property. For Leggs, preservation is not only about restoring buildings; it’s about restoring pleasure, advancing justice, and guaranteeing that future generations inherit the complete story of America’s id.
He explains how his mission to guard these sacred locations grew to become a deeper function rooted in justice, fairness, and cultural empowerment.
You’ve described preservation as a part of a social motion for justice, fairness, and reconciliation. What impressed you to provide this work a deeper function by means of the African American Cultural Heritage Motion Fund?
The African American Cultural Heritage Motion Fund was born out of a dedication to elevate the tales and shield the locations the place Black historical past unfolds. By historic preservation we make sure that the contributions, struggles, and triumphs of Black Individuals whose tales have too usually been marginalized or erased, will not be handled merely as a footnote in historical past, however as foundational to the American story.
Since its founding in 2017, the Motion Fund has raised over $220 million and invested over $44 million within the preservation of 378 Black historic websites throughout the nation by means of varied initiatives such because the Nationwide Grant Program, Descendant and Household Stewardship Initiative, and Conserving Black Modernism.
This work is about extra than simply saving buildings. It’s about honoring id, advancing fairness, and utilizing historical past as a basis for progress.
Most of the websites you’ve helped shield, just like the Birmingham Civil Rights Nationwide Monument and Madam C. J. Walker’s property, maintain highly effective symbolism. How do you resolve which locations are most important to protect?
By our key initiatives — the Nationwide Grant Program, Preserving Black Church buildings Program, Descendant and Household Stewardship Initiative, and Conserving Black Modernism –, we prioritize locations that not solely mirror historic significance but additionally resonate with dwelling communities at this time.
The websites we work with usually embody broader actions – whether or not in civil rights, training, arts, or social justice – whereas additionally telling deeply private and native tales.
For instance, Brown Chapel AME Church – which acquired a $1 million grant this March for restoration and preservation – exemplifies how we determine these important websites. We search for locations that serve each as symbols of bigger social actions and as anchors of neighborhood life. Brown Chapel isn’t solely a historic home of worship but additionally a cornerstone of the civil rights motion.
African American landmarks have usually been missed. How is your group reshaping the narrative, so Black historical past is absolutely acknowledged and celebrated?
We leverage historic preservation by confronting the long-standing inequities and disinvestment which have left many Black historic websites undocumented, underfunded, or forgotten. By the Motion Fund, we work to make sure these locations will not be solely protected, but additionally formally acknowledged and celebrated as important components of the American story.
In the end, our aim is to assist the nation perceive that Black historical past is American historical past. By preserving and selling these websites, we honor the contributions of Black Individuals and guarantee their tales are remembered and advised to create a extra correct and inclusive narrative for future generations.
Your “Enterprise of Preservation” initiative highlights the financial worth of saving historic websites. How can this work assist entrepreneurship and neighborhood progress?
Historic preservation might be an engine of financial improvement by empowering traditionally Black communities to take possession of their native cultural belongings. This revitalization brings consideration to the heritage and cultural websites in these locations and in flip generates tourism, revitalizes arts and cultural programming, and generates income for native companies. With this initiative, preservation turns into a car for sustainable progress, not simply an act of remembrance.
How do you see cultural preservation connecting with at this time’s actions for social justice and alter?
Cultural preservation is a robust device for advancing social justice. Preserving these areas reaffirms that Black historical past is American historical past. It invitations reflection, conjures up dialogue, and empowers future generations by means of tales of resilience and management. On this means, preservation turns into greater than preserving bodily areas – it turns into an act of justice and catalyst for change.
You’ve helped protect locations tied to icons like Nina Simone and John Coltrane. What private classes have you ever taken from this work?
Working to protect locations tied to cultural icons has taught me that historic preservation is not only about safeguarding bodily constructions, but additionally honoring id, reminiscence, and the profound influences these figures had. These websites aren’t simply landmarks however vessels for historical past, tradition, and resilience. Preserving these areas reminds us that historical past isn’t static—it breathes by means of individuals, communities, and the artistic power they depart behind.
What are the largest challenges the Motion Fund faces at this time, and the way can communities or companions assist?
There may be vital want for preservation of historic websites within the African American neighborhood. Because the Motion Fund was based in 2017, we’ve acquired over 8,000 grant functions requesting $1.2 billion. These investments don’t simply protect buildings; they protect the reality. They provide communities a way of pleasure, place, and
belonging—and so they make sure that future generations inherit a fuller, extra trustworthy image of America.
How do you see expertise and storytelling shaping the way forward for historic preservation?
Know-how is reworking the way forward for historic preservation by permitting us to amplify tales, broaden entry, and have interaction new audiences in ways in which weren’t attainable previously. Storytelling, when mixed with expertise, opens new pathways for entry, bringing historical past to individuals wherever they’re. By digital platforms, documentaries, podcasts, and radio, we will join individuals – particularly youthful generations – to the narratives tied to those historic locations.
As an educator and mentor, what classes do you share with college students in regards to the accountability of preserving tradition?
A lesson I share with college students in regards to the accountability of preserving this tradition is that it doesn’t simply protect bodily monuments, however their tales, heritage, and legacy as effectively. Too usually, the locations related to Black historical past have gone unrecognized for the vital position they play within the material of American society. By saving these Black historic locations, we not solely protect a bodily piece of historical past, however we additionally contribute to telling the complete American story—which is now extra vital than ever.
If you go to a website, you’ve helped save. What goes by means of your thoughts? What retains you motivated to proceed this mission?
Visiting a website that we’ve helped protect is at all times a shifting expertise. It’s a highly effective reminder of the significance and impression of this work.
Maybe my largest realization and motivating issue on this work is that if we don’t make investments now, we rob future generations of the tales, locations, and cultural touchstones that outline who we’re. Preservation is about inheritance as a lot as historical past. I name on leaders throughout sectors to take a position boldly in preservation, particularly in Black and marginalized histories, as a result of after we shield these locations, we shield the soul of our democracy.
