Urban Roots

Latest Episodes:

TRAILER: The Lost City of Vanport May 26, 2023

Show notes

Located between Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon, Vanport was a temporary wartime housing project built in 1942 to support the workers of the Kaiser shipyards. Working class people of African, Japanese, European, and Indigenous descent came for its well-paying jobs and affordable housing.

Despite the fact that segregation was the norm in Oregon at the time, Vanport was a multicultural place where people felt a sense of acceptance and belonging. The city was built on a floodplain, but residents were assured the surrounding dykes would never break. However, in 1948, a wall of water totally and rapidly destroyed the community. Those who survived were left devastated and had to begin their lives from scratch. The ripples of Vanport’s destruction continue to be felt in Portland today.

For the past eight years, the nonprofit Vanport Mosaic has been collecting oral histories from Vanport survivors and descendants and putting on an annual festival to celebrate their memories. May 30 will be the 75th anniversary of the Vanport flood — and this Vanport Mosaic festival will not be one to miss.

We are collaborating with Vanport Mosaic to develop a podcast series about Vanport and the lessons it still teaches us today. The whole team is on planes to Oregon now, as we speak, and we would love to see you at the Festival, too. Admission is free! See you there? https://www.vanportmosaic.org/festival2023

Voices Heard in This Teaser (In order of appearance):

LaVeta Gilmore
Luther Avery
William Stacey
Chisao Hata
Janice Okomoto
Bea Gilmore
Ed Washgington

Credits:

Thank you to Laura Lo Forti, LaVeta Gilmore, and Chisao Hata. Your hosts are Deqah Hussein-Wetzel and Vanessa Quirk. This episode was edited by Vanessa Quirk and Connor Lynch and mixed by Connor Lynch. Our music is by Adaam James Levin-Areddy.

Visit Urbanist Media for more information.

BONUS: Brent Leggs on Raising Millions for Black Heritage Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

Today on the pod, we have a conversation with one of the biggest contributors to African American Preservation alive today...

Brent Leggs! If you’re in historic preservation – or a similar field– you probably heard of Brent. But for those of you who haven’t — Brent is a Senior Vice President at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. And while Brent has done many amazing things to preserve African American heritage, as the Executive Director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, he’s raised over 80 MILLION DOLLARS for Black heritage organizations.

We talked to Brent about:

Brent’s education at University of Kentucky [6:35]
Brent’s childhood in Paducah, Kentucky [9:52]
Preserving the intangible as well as the tangible [16:34]
Preservation-Based Economic Development and who’s doing it well [33:44]
The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund: deciding who to fund? [59:18]
Training future preservationists [1:09:14]
Brent’s ideal Urban Roots episode [1:10:46]

Mentioned In this Episode:

Lejuano Varnell, Sweet Auburn Works - Atlanta, Georgia
8th of August - Paducah, Kentucky
Bryan Stevenson, Equal Justice Initiative - Montgomery, Alabama
Jair Lynch and Howard University, U Street development - Washington, D.C.
Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, and Phylicia Rashad, Actor and director - Co-Chairs of Advisory Council for the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund
Civil Rights Trail - Alabama
Dr. David Childs, Director of Black Studies at Northern Kentucky University
Palmer Pharmacy - Lexington, Kentucky
Eldorado ballroom - Houston, Texas
Faith Ringold - Englewood, New Jersey
James Weldon Johnson (and Sheryl Lee Ralph)
Lucille Clifton - Baltimore, Maryland

Credits:

Thank you to Brent Leggs. This episode was edited and mixed by Connor Lynch. Our music is by Adaam James Levin-Areddy. Your hosts are Deqah Hussein-Wetzel and Vanessa Quirk.

Urban Roots is a product of Urbanist Media, a non-profit dedicated to community preservation. You can make a tax-deductible donation to us via Venmo or Paypal.
Follow us on IG @urbanrootsculture. Drop us an email urbanrootspodcast@gmail.com

BONUS: Revitalizing Urban Main Streets Apr 01, 2023

Show notes

Happy April Fool's...but it's no April fools here...today, we’re 100% introducing you to two boss women doing dope work with Main Street America revitalizing urban main streets across America: Dionne Baux, the Vice President of Urban Development, and Amanda Elliot, Senior Program Officer and Director of California Programs.

We met Dionne and Amanda last year at HAANDS — the Historic African American Neighborhood and District Summit — and this episode concludes our series with HAANDS attendees. BUT don’t fear, we will still be introducing you to more all-star practitioners in equitable preservation-based development in some upcoming bonus episodes. Stay tuned!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Sweet Auburn Works
Betty Reid Soskin, Park Ranger
Richmond, California / Richmond Main Street
The East Oakland Black Cultural Zone
Destination Crenshaw in LA

Credits:
Thank you to Dionne Baux and Amanda. Your hosts are Deqah Hussein-Wetzel and Vanessa Quirk. This episode was edited by Vanessa Quirk and Connor Lynch and mixed by Connor Lynch. Our music is by Adaam James Levin-Areddy.

BONUS: Preservation Through Podcasting Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

The tables are turned! Your hosts, Deqah and Vanessa, were recently interviewed by Nicholas Sikellis for his podcast, The Intangible, for a conversation that got into both their backgrounds and their unique perspectives on historic preservation — as well as their passion for the more intangible/nontraditional aspects of preservation, like cultural heritage and economic development.

The interview was so fun that we asked Nicholas if we could share it on our feeds, and he graciously agreed. So, here, dear listeners, is that episode. Enjoy — and subscribe to The Intangible wherever you listen to podcasts.

BONUS: Supporting Resilient Communities in Texas Jan 30, 2023

Show notes

Today, we’re introducing you to two all-star women we met at HAANDS — the Historic African American Neighborhood and District Summit — who are doing great work in Texas.

First up, Tanya Debose, a fourth-generation Houstonian, the Executive Director of the Independence Heights Redevelopment Council, and the founder of Preserving Communities of Color in Houston.

Then, Desiree Powell, a program coordinator for The Congress for the New Urbanism and the founder of Do Right By the Street (DRBTS), a planning firm that facilitates the creation of community-driven places in South Dallas, like the Sunny South Dallas Food Park.

We’ll be publishing more interviews with HAANDS attendees — and introducing you to more practitioners of preservation-based economic development — in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

Credits:

Thank you to Tanya Debose and Desiree Powell. This episode was edited by Vanessa Quirk and mixed by Connor Lynch. Our music is by Adaam James Levin-Areddy. Your hosts are Deqah Hussein-Wetzel and Vanessa Quirk.

BONUS: Preserving Black Heritage in L.A. Jan 11, 2023

Show notes

Rita Cofield is an associate project specialist working on the Los Angeles African American Historic Places (LAAAHP) at the Getty Conservation Institute.

Deqah first met Rita virtually on a National Trust panel on preservation podcasting, and Vanessa was connected to Rita by LA Principal City Planner Ken Bernstein (our special guest at the Biddy Mason Listen & Learn, which you should check out if you haven’t yet!). We got to know Rita in-person at the Historic African American Neighborhood and District Summit in Atlanta, HAANDS. We recorded this conversation there, and will be publishing more with HAANDS attendees in the coming weeks. So stay tuned :)

In this conversation, Rita shares her exciting work on the LAAAHP, which expands on work that was started with the SurveyLA project, a previous partnership between the Getty Conservation Institute and the Los Angeles City Planning’s Office of Historic Resources between 2010 and 2017 to survey and inventory parcels in the city and surface places historically significant to communities of color.

Rita also volunteers as Executive Director of the Friends at Mafundi, an advocacy organization that seeks to protect and preserve the historic Watts Happening Cultural Center (also known as the Mafundi Building) in Watts, California, a project close to Rita’s heart. She mentions a great mentor who she worked with on the project: Roger E. Mosley, actor, director, coach, and beloved mentor to creatives, academics, and athletes. The Watts community also recently lost Oscar Neal, a Watts activist, advocate, historian, business owner and former owner of the historic Jordan’s Café in Watts.

Credits:

Thank you to Rita Cofield. This episode was edited by Vanessa Quirk and mixed by Connor Lynch. Our music is by Adaam James Levin-Areddy. Your hosts are Deqah Hussein-Wetzel and Vanessa Quirk.

BONUS: Forging a Path for Preservation-Based Economic Development Dec 13, 2022

Show notes

Lejuano Varnell is the co-founder of the Historic African American Neighborhood and District Summit, HAANDS, and the executive director of Sweet Auburn Works, which does preservation-based economic development along the historic Auburn Avenue corridor in Atlanta.

We met Lejuano when we were in Atlanta for the first, in-person HAANDS, and were lucky enough to receive a tour from him of Auburn Avenue, which is home to many historic African American sites, such as the Atlanta Daily World building (the headquarters of the first African American newspaper) and the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge (which used to house WERD Radio, the first African American owned radio station in North America). We were really inspired by the work he and the landowners on the Avenue are doing to make sure it remains a hub of African American culture and entrepreneurship moving forward. In this conversation, Lejuano breaks down their approach — which weaves both tactical programs and narrative storytelling — and gives us some insight into the future of HAANDS.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Sweet Auburn Works
HAANDS
HAANDs Summit 2021: America's Black Wall Street w/ Dr. Jelani Cobb and Hannibal Johnson
Sweet Auburn Bread Company
Main Street America

Credits:

Thank you to Lejuano Varnell. This episode was edited by Vanessa Quirk and Connor Lynch and mixed by Connor Lynch. Our music is by Adaam James Levin-Areddy. Your hosts are Deqah Hussein-Wetzel and Vanessa Quirk.

Social Media

Handles

IG: @_haands / @sweetauburnworks

TW: @_haands / @sweetauburnwork

LN: HAANDS / Sweet Auburn Works

Audiogram - Audio

“The more you uplift the place-based narrative … the harder it is to erase it.”

Lejuano Varnell is the co-founder of @_haands — the Historic African American Neighborhood and District Summit — and the executive director of @sweetauburnworks. Every day, he does whatever it takes to improve his historic Atlanta corridor — and make it a place where small African American businesses can thrive. Listen to our full episode to hear more about Lejuano and how he’s building on the work of his predecessors to strike a path for preservation-based economic development in Atlanta — and beyond.

BONUS: Reflecting on HAANDS and the future of our pod Nov 29, 2022

Show notes

We’re back from the Historic African American Neighborhood and District Summit (HAANDS) and we’re still buzzing! Deqah and Vanessa discuss the many things they learned about preservation-based economic development — and gush over the great people they met who are working to help their communities stay in place, connect with their past, and thrive into the future.

Our experience at the summit really crystallized the importance of storytelling (and the work we do) when it comes to preserving communities of color. We have so many ideas for future episodes; we just need support from listeners like you to make them a reality. If you believe that the work we do matters, and want to see more of it, please donate to our PayPal page or Venmo. If you donate today (Giving Tuesday), your donation will be matched.

If you want to know more about HAANDS, check out our previous conversation with co-founder Elijah Davis.

Credits:

Thank you to Claudia Polley and Krista Weatherholt of the Urban Legacy Lands Initiative who made our trip to Atlanta to attend the summit possible. Thanks to HAANDS co-founders Elijah Davis of Urban Impact and Lejuano Varnell of Sweet Auburn Works. This episode was edited by Vanessa Quirk and mixed by Connor Lynch. Our music is by Adaam James Levin-Areddy. Your hosts are Deqah Hussein-Wetzel and Vanessa Quirk.

BONUS: Bringing "HAANDS" Together to Preserve Black Neighborhoods Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

Elijah Davis is the co-founder of the Historic African American Neighborhood and District Summit, HAANDS, for short. HAANDS brings together professionals in historic preservation and storytelling, economic development and entrepreneurship, and community organizing to share ideas about what can be done to “preserve, enhance, and elevate” Historic Black places.

In this conversation, we learn more about Elijah’s family connections to Mobile, his work in community economic development with Birmingham-based Urban Impact, and how he started HAANDS with his co-founder Lejuano Varnell of Sweet Auburn Works.

This year’s summit will take place over November 17 and 18 in Atlanta Georgia — and guess what, listeners… we’ll be there! Claudia Polley of the Urban Legacy Lands Initiative, which we featured in our Indianapolis episodes, has offered us a travel stipend to attend.

To help us cover the remainder of our travel costs, we’re hoping to raise $500 dollars from our listeners. If you believe in the work we do, sharing and preserving the histories of underrepresented people and places, then please donate to us via our PayPal page or Venmo. Note the word “HAANDS” when you donate.

If you’re interested in the future of black heritage lands, we think you’ll really enjoy this conversation — and maybe even get inspired to join as at the summit! Hope to see you there!

Credits:

Thank you to Elijah Davis, Claudia Polley, Krista Weatherholt, and ULLI. This episode was edited by Vanessa Quirk and Connor Lynch and mixed by Connor Lynch. Our music is by Adaam James Levin-Areddy. Your hosts are Deqah Hussein-Wetzel and Vanessa Quirk.

BONUS: Institutional Investors & Housing Nov 05, 2022

Show notes

As you may remember, our first season explored the history of three African American neighborhoods in Cincinnati. We explored the times when those neighborhoods were thriving — and when disinvestment instigated many of the socio-economic challenges these communities continue to face today.

But one piece we didn't explore was how institutional investors have contributed to these communities’ affordability and housing challenges.

After we aired the season, Dr. Hayden Shelby, an Assistant Professor of Planning at the University of Cincinnati, reached out saying she was teaching a class on housing systems and institutional investors — and, instead of papers, she was asking her students to make a podcast. As part of Urbanist Media — the community preservation not-for-profit that produces Urban Roots — we've been helping Dr. Shelby, guiding her and her students to develop a new podcast, If Walls Could Talk.

In this conversation, we sat down with Dr. Hayden Shelby to learn more about the issue of institutional investors broadly and how they specifically operate in Cincinnati.

Dr. Shelby and her class will be hosting two community conversations about institutional investors (details below). We hope as many people as possible in Cincinnati take part in these conversations — it’s time to collectively create the solutions Cinci neighborhoods need to curb the negative impact of institutional investors and allow these communities to, once again, thrive.

In-Person: Saturday, November 12th from 9-1 AM at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning Building.
Zoom: Friday, November 18th from 2-4 PM on Zoom (register via link or email shelbyhm@uc.edu)

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