- Free
- History Colorado Center
1200 North Broadway
Denver, Colorado 80203 - 1:00 PM-2:00 PM
Too often, the places where significant African American history happened have been unrecognized for the important role they play in the fabric of American society. Join us for a conversation with Brent Leggs, executive director of the National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, as he explores the importance of protecting Black history landmarks in Colorado and across the nation.
About the Speaker:
Brent Leggs is the executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and strategic advisor to the CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Leggs is a former Harvard University Loeb Fellow, 2018 recipient of the Robert G. Stanton National Preservation Award, and author of Preserving African American Historic Places, which is considered the “seminal publication on preserving African American historic sites” by the Smithsonian Institution.
The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a division of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, seeks to make an important and lasting contribution to our nation’s cultural landscape by elevating the stories and places of Black resilience, activism, and achievement. Supported by investments from the Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Freedom Together Foundation, Lilly Endowment Inc. and other partners, it has raised over $200 million and supported over 400 preservation projects to date.
About the Series:
The Blaxplanation events explore the stories of Colorado’s Black diaspora– outside the context of slavery—with national or international impact. This dynamic program series ranges from speaker panels and music concerts to bus tours and more. It’s been carefully designed to amplify the beauty, joy, resiliency, and tenacity of Black communities. Reclaiming its name from the Blaxploitation genre of the 70s, this series addresses racist and discriminatory understandings of Black life while focusing on the contributions and achievements of Black communities to our society. Learn more about these events and sign up for the newsletter on https://www.historycolorado.org/blaxplanation.
A hearing loop assistive listening system is available for this program to assist guests with hearing loss.