The Out(sider) Preservation Initiative names Eight Grantees for Commemorative Landscape Projects
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The Out(sider) Preservation Initiative (OPI), founded by Dr. Andrea Roberts and supported by the Mellon Foundation, is proud to announce its inaugural cohort of eight grantees. To further OPI’s mission to commemorate and activate Black place preservation through research, grantmaking, education, and digital storytelling, eight grantees have been selected, including individuals and organizations that represent a diverse range of descendant-led projects committed to commemorating Black placemaking, memory, and migration through creative storytelling and place preservation.
This year’s grantees were selected for their deep community ties, innovative use of cultural heritage tools, and dedication to preserving endangered sites and stories. From urban neighborhoods in Los Angeles to rural lands in Texas and ancestral communities in Nova Scotia, each project centers on the voices and visions of descendants as they document, honor, and activate Black places.
The selected grantees will host commemorative events, create site-specific art, engage local communities and sacred sites through cemetery stewardship, document oral histories, digitize archives, and engage intergenerational audiences through food, performance, storytelling, and gatherings. Collectively, their work will contribute to a growing network of community-centered preservation efforts, aligned with OPI’s mission to reshape historic preservation practices through creativity, equity, and care.
The OPI grantees are:
a.l.t. ^ home
Los Angeles, California
Jeremy De'jon Guyton, Co-Archivist and Curator
Demetria Murphy, Co-Archivist, Project Manager, and Lead Cartographer
Project Title: Lineages of Kinship: Kinkeeping as Place Preservation
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a.l.t. ^home is a creative residency and neighborhood-based community archive located on South Menlo Avenue in South Central Los Angeles. Founded in 2021, the project preserves the migration stories of Black Southern families who relocated to the Westmont and Athens neighborhoods in the 1950s and 60s from places like Louisiana and Texas. Blending archival work with creative expression, a.l.t. ^home preserves this legacy through participatory memory mapping, fortifying archive support, and community-generated exhibitions that reflect both historical and present-day experiences in the neighborhood.
Project activities include gathering oral histories, mapping culturally significant places, activating historical collections through public programs and gatherings such as a community block party, and supporting digital preservation efforts through education and engagement. The initiative will also support descendant travel and distribute a fireside prep kit to create space for Black queer and elder residents to connect, rest, and reflect. In response to the increasing threat of climate-related crises, the project will provide resources such as temporary shelter, food, and assistance navigating relief services. Together, these efforts position a.l.t. ^home as a cultural refuge and creative sanctuary dedicated to everyday acts of preservation, mutual care, and collective remembrance.
Kreating Opportunity for Inclusive Learning and Supplication, Inc.
Zachary, Louisiana
Corhonda Corley, Chief Executive Officer, Parent and Disabilities Advocate
Project Title: Revitalizing the Legacy: Empowering Black Communities through Disability Advocacy and Historic Preservation
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Kreating Opportunity for Inclusive Learning and Supplication, Inc. (KOILS) is a Louisiana-based nonprofit organization advancing disability justice, racial equity, and cultural preservation. Rooted in a commitment to inclusion, the organization uplifts the voices of disabled and Black communities through storytelling, advocacy, and accessible public history initiatives.
With support from OPI, KOILS Inc. is preserving the history of Black settlements including Alsen, Scotlandville, and Tangipahoa Parish by centering disability inclusion in its historic preservation work. The project will gather oral histories, curate accessible exhibitions, and present public performances led by local artists, including those with disabilities. Through this work, KOILS reimagines preservation as a practice that honors lived experience and affirms the dignity of all identities.
Weymouth Falls Community Land Trust
Cherry Brook, Nova Scotia, Canada
Shekara Grant, Founder
Project Title: Our Lives. Our Truths. Our (His)Stories.
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The Weymouth Falls Community Land Trust (WFCLT) is a descendant-led nonprofit committed to preserving, protecting, and honoring the legacy of their African Nova Scotian community. The WFCLT provides a platform for vibrant community voices, serving as a steward of the land while fostering opportunities for growth, development, and the preservation of cultural identity and ancestral assets. Situated in one of Nova Scotia’s oldest African Nova Scotian settlements, the WFCLT activates heritage preservation through digital mapping, oral history, and the restoration of sacred sites.
With support from OPI, the WFCLT will commemorate the 30th anniversary of a significant community reunion through a multifaceted project that includes digital storytelling, oral history collection, and multimedia mapping. Central to this work is the revitalization of Mount Beulah Baptist Church, a longstanding spiritual and cultural landmark. These efforts not only document the rich heritage of Weymouth Falls but also ensure its protection for future generations, strengthening ties between descendants, place, and memory.
Learn more about the Weymouth Falls Community Land Trust
Outreach Production
Austin, Texas
Stephanie Lang, Executive Producer and Funmi Ogunro, Media Director
Project Title: RISE
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Outreach Productions is an arts-based nonprofit in Austin, Texas, dedicated to culturally responsive programming across writing, visual arts, theater, and storytelling. The organization uplifts the work of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women creatives while advancing cultural preservation through history-centered initiatives.
With support from OPI, Outreach is expanding Rise, a documentary and digital platform that preserves the legacies of Austin’s Black freedom communities. As part of this work, Rise is supporting the Manchaca community by highlighting the preservation of Brown Cemetery, a historic Black burial ground stewarded by Floris “Ms. Flo” Sorrells and her family, whose land holds generations of relatives and formerly enslaved individuals. In addition to helping secure historic designation for the cemetery, the project will host a public gathering featuring storytelling, panel discussions, music, and calls to action that center the voices of residents and descendants. Through creative expression and public engagement, Outreach Productions strengthens awareness and care for Black heritage in Central Texas.
Learn more about Outreach Productions
The PECAN Project
East Texas
DaLyah Jones, Project Lead
Project Title: Preserving Essential Cultural Archives and Narratives
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The PECAN Project preserves the heritage and cultural traditions of Afro-Texan communities by honoring the legacy of freedom colonies, Black cowboy culture, and agrarian practices rooted in the experiences of formerly enslaved people. The project is led by DaLyah Jones, a journalist and philanthropy professional from Deep East Texas; Briana Blueitt, a seventh-generation Afro-Texan and storyteller; and Jacques Houston, a community leader and president of Big Body Ryder’s Trail Riding Club based in Cedar Grove, a historic Freedman town. Together, they combine historical research, creative expression, and community engagement to reconnect descendants with their cultural roots.
With support from OPI, the PECAN Project will host a heritage trail ride, offer archiving workshops, and document freedom colony histories across rural Texas. These efforts will result in public exhibitions, multimedia storytelling, and a printed anthology that celebrates Afro-Texan resilience and demonstrates a descendant-led model for cultural preservation rooted in memory, joy, and justice.
Learn more about the PECAN Project
Barrett-Peake Heritage Foundation, Inc.
Hampton, Virginia
Dr. Colita Fairfax, President
Project Title: Preserving Sacred Spaces of the Contraband in Public Memory
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The Barrett-Peake Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Hampton, Virginia, dedicated to preserving historic African American sites and legacies. Founded in 2014 by Dr. Mary T. Christian, a descendant of Contraband freedom seekers, BPHF focuses on safeguarding Civil War–era cemeteries including Elmerton, Thornton, and Bassette. These communities are closely tied to the Grand Contraband Camp and Slab Town communities.
The foundation also restores significant cultural landmarks such as the former state headquarters of the Virginia Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs and is developing a memorial trail at the site of the former Virginia School for the Deaf, Blind and Multi-Disabled. The Barrett-Peake Heritage Foundation is working to protect African American burial sites in Hampton that hold the remains of early Contraband communities. Centered on Elmerton Cemetery and other historic sites, the project will engage the community through educational programming, historical interpretation, a documentary, and commemorative events. These efforts help preserve the legacy of the city’s earliest free Black communities and ensure their stories remain part of public memory.
Learn more about the Barrett-Peake Heritage Foundation
Leon County Historical Society
Centerville, Texas and Richmond, California
Dr. Ayoka Nurse, Executive Director
Project Title: Land, Legacy, and Spirit: Reconnecting to Pleasant Springs
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The Leon County Historical Society (LCHS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the history of Black farming communities and freedom settlements in Leon County, Texas, with a focus on Pleasant Springs. Founded and led by a direct descendant of Pleasant Springs’ early landowner Isaac Young, the organization works to reconnect descendants to their ancestral lands through archival preservation, site documentation, and creative storytelling.
With support from OPI, the Society is preserving this legacy through creative installations, guided cemetery tours, storytelling events, and a farm-to-table gathering that honors the community’s agrarian roots. The project will culminate in a closing ceremony in Richmond, California, and include the digitization of archival records to connect descendants and ensure long-term access to the settlement’s history. LCHS efforts ensure that the memory and impact of Pleasant Springs continues to inspire future generations.
Learn more about the Leon County Historical Society
Change Makers
El Centro, California
Sonia Carter, Chief Executive Officer
Project Title: Reviving Roots: A Community Redemption
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The Change Makers is a civic engagement organization based in El Centro, California, that advances social justice through education, advocacy, and community-driven programming in the Imperial Valley. Focused on uplifting historically marginalized residents, the organization fosters youth leadership, cultural celebration, and historical awareness through creative expression and place-based storytelling.
With support from OPI, Change Makers is launching a dynamic cultural initiative that celebrates Black heritage in the Imperial Valley through sports, oral history, and intergenerational engagement. The project will expand the 3-on-3 basketball tournament by introducing oral history reenactments, exhibitions, and workshops that honor the legacy of Black settlers in the region. Events will take place in public parks and museums, transforming everyday spaces into sites of learning, pride, and cultural renewal.
The Out(sider) Preservation Initiative, funded by the Mellon Foundation, expands the mapping, technical assistance, and storytelling work of The Texas Freedom Colonies Project by engaging with places and communities in Washington, DC, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Louisiana, California, Texas and Nova Scotia. OPI prioritizes supporting artistic, cultural, and preservation work that’s created by descendants inspired by their memories, stories and place histories.
