Black City Makers | A Conversation about Cultural Heritage Preservation

Black City Makers will delve into the importance of preserving and celebrating the depth of wealth in Black history and culture of Philadelphia, focusing on the 7th Ward as a central piece of the city's heritage. The event is in partnership with WURD Radio and will be aired LIVE on Evening WURDs with Dr. James Peterson.

Speakers:

Amber N Wiley, PhD

Lenwood Sloan

About Amber N. Wiley

Amber is the Matt and Erika Nord Director of the Center for the Preservation of Civil Rights Sites (CPCRS) and Presidential Associate Professor in Historic Preservation at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design. She has dedicated her professional career to advancing the history and narrative of design and preservation in Black communities, as well as advocating for theoretically rigorous, thoughtful, and inclusive expansions of preservation policy and practice.

Her research interests center on the social aspects of design and how it affects urban communities – architecture as a literal and figural structure of power. She focuses on the ways local and national bodies have made the claim for the dominating narrative and collective memory of cities and examines how preservation and public history contribute to the creation and maintenance of the identity and sense of place of a city. Her publications cover African American and African diasporic cultural heritage, urbanism in New Orleans, school design, urban renewal, and preservation.

About Lenwood Sloan

For the past 40 years, Lenwood Sloan has provided inspiration, leadership and technical assistance both in the public and private sector. On October 7, 2013, Mr. Sloan received the Distinguished Service Humanitarian award from Pennsylvania Humanities Council for his outstanding work in community organizing.

He is currently an International Consultant collaborating with the U.S. Embassy in Brussels and the multi nation “Liberation Route” on a new international WWII heritage trail. He is creative consultant for the Cameron Museum of Wilmington, N. C. USCT project, collaborator on the innovative “Two Roads“ series for the Irish Cultural Center of New York. Throughout 2011 Sloan served as Pennsylvania’s film commissioner and was certified by the Association of Film commissioners international (AFCI). In that capacity, he directed the 60 million dollar film tax credit office. From 2005 to 2011, Mr. Sloan served as director of Pennsylvania’s Cultural and Heritage Tourism Program His portfolio included the Pa festival initiative, the Appalachian Regional Commission’s 13 state geo- tourism initiative, the artisans’ craft trails , the PA Civil War trails.

Lenwood Sloan has served as Director of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Presenting and Commissioning program, Deputy Director of Services to the field for the California Arts Council , Director of New Orleans Arts and Tourism partnership . He is recipient of the Louisiana Travel and Tourism leadership award for business innovations. His artistic credits include creating “art in the market place” programs for the Rouse Corporation in New Orleans, St. Louis, Boston, and Baltimore. In addition, he participated on the artistic team for five national public television documentaries, Treme- Untold Story, Emmy award winning Ethnic Notions, Stephen Foster, the internationally acclaimed Re-imaging Ireland, and the Emmy award winning Dance Black America.