"I believe that making amends is to understand that the Black experience is an American experience."

Jul 13, 2020 / Updated Aug 5, 2020

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Brent Leggs at the A.G. Gaston Motel in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo courtesy of NPR/Manoush Zamorodi.
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Brent Leggs at the A.G. Gaston Motel in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo courtesy of NPR/Manoush Zamorodi.

I believe that making amends is to understand that the Black experience is an American experience.

Associate Clinical Professor of Historic Preservation Brent Leggs walks the A.G. Gaston Motel in Birmingham, Alabama, on NPR’s TED Radio Hour, where he talks about meaningful efforts to rectify the inequity of recognizing Black historic places. “I think some of the cultural conflict—that we see rooted in race and that’s rooted in a legacy of slavery—has yet to be fully acknowledged,” Leggs told host Manoush Zomorodi. “So, when we preserve a place like the A.G. Gaston Motel that tells a civil rights story, we are reminded that we still have a long way to go to be inclusive as a country and respect all of our citizens and their contributions.” Listen to the story at NPR’s website.

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