Dear Friend,

Black History Month is a time to honor the stories and achievements of African Americans, whose contributions to American history are too often overlooked. At the National Trust, we are committed to saving places that deepen our understanding of what it means to be American. Uplifting stories of Black history and saving places where African Americans made history is a vital part of telling the full American story—a story that can help redefine who we are as a nation.

We protect irreplaceable sites that collectively embody the stories of all Americans so that every person has the opportunity to see themselves reflected in our country’s shared heritage. Historic places like the ones we save have the power to inspire, educate, and enrich our lives.

We can’t protect historic places without your help. In honor of Black History Month, join the National Trust today to help us continue telling the full American story and use the tools of historic preservation to save a diverse range of places across the country.

Our mission is to honor the history of culturally significant places across America so that they can play a significant part of our culture today and their stories are a part of our future. It has been our honor to work on historic places like these that define our unique American identity in all its diverse complexity:

• We were delighted to announce the permanent protection of Nina Simone’s childhood home in Tryon, North Carolina, where the legendary musician and activist taught herself to play the piano at age 3. The home had fallen into disrepair and was in danger of being lost. A preservation easement you helped secure permanently protects its authentic character, which will carry on Nina Simone’s legacy for years to come.
• In close collaboration with the US Army, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the State Historic Preservation Office, and a wide array of partners, we are rapidly working toward a long-term military reuse of the Mountain View Officers’ Club at Fort Huachuca in southeast Arizona. Fort Huachuca was the headquarters of the famed “Buffalo Soldiers,” and its population soared during World War II when it was transformed into the nation's largest training facility for Black soldiers, with more than 1,300 new buildings constructed to house and train tens of thousands of Black soldiers in the 92nd and 93rd Divisions. Today the Mountain View Officers Club is one of only two Black officers' clubs remaining in the US military, and it is one of only a few buildings at Fort Huachuca that still survives to document the history of the segregated Army during World War II and honor the enormous sacrifices Black soldiers made in service of their country.
• The National Trust and its partners stopped destruction of archaeological remains of Shockoe Bottom, once the center of Richmond, Virginia’s slave trade and, today, a sacred place for the African American community. An economic benefits analysis funded by our African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund (AACHAF) is making the case for creation of a memorial park that will allow Americans to reflect upon the difficult history embedded there.

The AACHAF works to fill in the gaps of history with a goal of preserving 150 Black history sites across the country. In its first three years, we’ve awarded $4.3 million in grants to preserve sites where Black history happened.

None of these achievements would be possible without contributions from friends like you. Every dollar you donate today gets us one step closer to meeting our $25,000 goal to honor the important work of telling our shared story—the full American story.

Thank you, as always, for your personal commitment to the mission of the National Trust and for helping us tell a full American story that uplifts all Americans.

Adele Hixon-Day Vice President of Individual Giving