Heritage Matters
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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HERITAGE MATTERS NEWS OF THE NATION’S DIVERSE CULTURAL HERITAGE Cultural Resources Diversity Program Marks Its Fifth Year INSIDE THIS ISSUE Antoinette J. Lee programs directed at developing 101(j)(I)—which directs the National Park Service AAEF parks list, p. 18 diverse professionals. Today, the Secretary of the Interior, in consul- Diversity Program encompasses a tation with other entities, to devel- Conferences When the Cultural Resources upcoming, p. 23 Diversity Program was initiated in series of programs directed at op “technical or financial assis- Exhibit planned, p. 16 the fall of 1998, it was envisioned diversifying not only the profession, tance, or both, to historically black but also the communities served by colleges and universities (HBCU), National Register as primarily a workforce effort. listings, p. 8 National Park Service managers National Park Service programs to tribal colleges, and to colleges and parks and the resources that with a high enrollment of Native Native American wanted the cultural resources staff museum profile, p. 12 to better reflect the diversity of the are identified, protected, and inter- Americans or Native Hawaiians, to preted. A special issue of CRM establish preservation training and Publications nation and the park units that were of note, p. 23 being added to the National Park (Volume 22, No. 8, 1999), which was degree programs.” devoted to “Diversity and Cultural These training efforts included Tribal preservation System. In its early phase, the offices list, p. 13 Diversity Program’s major efforts Resources” describes the program’s cooperation on a lecture series on included the development of the work with minority universities and the Underground Railroad in the Cultural Resources Diversity organizations to develop training Mid-Atlantic region at Delaware Internship Program (see page 2); programs for their constituencies. State University, the first HBCU to the preparation of a biannual This focus was based on one of the offer a M.A. degree program in newsletter, Heritage Matters; and 1992 amendments to the National historic preservation; cooperation cooperation on a range of training Historic Preservation Act—Section (SEE DIVERSITY, PAGE 7) St. James Church window detail, Lafayette Square, Baltimore, Maryland. See page 4. HERITAGE MATTERS The Cultural Resources Diversity Program seeks to expand participation of diverse communities and increase the DECEMBER 2003 number of diverse professionals in the cultural resources field. Illustration courtesy of Kerry Skarda. HERITAGE MATTERS DECEMBER 2003 devoted to non-profit and cultural NPS ACTIVITIES resources related work. The class of summer 2003 included 14 interns who worked on projects designed to introduce them to the cultural resources and his- The Cultural Resources semesters, in addition to the toric preservation field. National Diversity Internship summer. Park Service projects ranged from Program After five years, the program is collections management tasks at beginning to show promising results. Lassen Volcanic National Park and Michéle Gates Moresi Two Summer 2000 interns now Historic American Building Survey/ National Conference of State Historic work for the National Park Service: Historic American Engineering Preservation Officers one as an education specialist at Record/ Historic American Land- Harpers Ferry Center in West The 2003 summer session marked scape Survey to teacher education Virginia and the other works for the the fifth year of the Cultural development at the National Center National Center for Recreation and Resources Diversity Internship for Preservation Technology and Conservation as an oudoor recre- Program (CRDIP). Starting with only Training. Interns worked at the U.S. ation specialist. Another intern from three interns in the summer of 1999, Naval Academy in Annapolis, Mary- Summer 1998, one of the program’s the program now co-sponsors 15 to land, the Charles H. Wright Museum first, is pursuing a Ph.D. in history 20 internships a year. The continuing for African American History in and is working with a National Park support and commitment of partner Detroit, Michigan, and offices of the Service office in the Northwest on a agencies to diversify the cultural National Trust for Historic Preserva- civil rights theme study. Still other resources field has made it possible tion in Washington, DC, and in students have reported that they are for the program to offer challenging Charleston, South Carolina. working in fields such as education, internship projects each year. During the last week of the marketing, and Beginning in 2002, the program internship, all 14 interns were invited law while was able to co-sponsor intern- to Washington, DC, where they par- continuing ships during the fall and ticipated in a three-day Career to be spring Workshop. Interns were Summer 2003 interns visited the National Center for Cultural Resources, National Park Service during the Career Workshop in Washington, DC. Photo courtesy of Sue Waldron. page 2 introduced to various programs and For more information, contact Michèle Gates segregated into separate neighbor- Moresi at 202/354-2266 or e-mail: institutions beyond their summer [email protected]. hoods. In Stockton, Filipinos settled experience. Interns visited National Intern sponsors and student applicants can find in the city's Oriental district next to Park Service cultural resources up-to-date information on the website: Chinatown and Japantown and http://www.cr.nps.gov/crdi, click “Internships.” offices, met with professionals at the created their own neighborhood, National Trust for Historic Preserva- designated by its inhabitants as tion and at the Smithsonian Disappearing Little Manila, after the national cap- Institution’s National Museum of Filipino History ital of the Philippines. American History, and toured the and Little Manila Little Manila was both a residen- new City Museum of Washington, Daphne Dador tial and commercial center for its DC.The workshop closed with a National Park Service CRDIP Intern inhabitants. The six blocks were career discussion panel in which home to shops, meeting halls, and interns engaged in a dialogue with Only three buildings remain of Little restaurants that were owned and accomplished professionals. Manila, a community that once con- patronized by Filipino Americans. The Diversity Internship Program tained the largest Filipino popula- The three remaining buildings in will continue into the 2003-2004 tion in the country. Located in Little Manila, a boarded-up hotel, a academic year with four 15-week Stockton, California, Little Manila dance hall, and a former Union semester internships. Fall 2003 was home to thousands of Filipino lodge are examples of the spirit of intern sponsors are Cabrillo National immigrants until the 1970s when the community that once existed. Monument in San Diego, CA, the redevelopment forced most of its Residential hotels were homes to Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National His- inhabitants to move. Today, three Filipino migrant workers because toric Sites in Hyde Park, NY, and the run-down buildings comprise what they were not allowed to own prop- U.S. Army cultural resources office in is left of a significant Filipino Amer- erty. The dance halls represent an Fort Drum, NY. The Statue of ican enclave, but they face threats of escape for Filipino workers after a Liberty in New York City will host an being demolished to create a new long day of work and the Union intern in the spring of 2004. We Asian-themed mini-mall. lodge reminds us that Filipino farm expect to have another roster of While conducting research on laborers were among the first union exciting projects for students in the Asian heritage at National Park organizers in the country. 2004-2005 season. Service historic sites, I became In the 17th century, Filipinos The Diversity Internship Program aware of Little Manila and the were the first people of Asian works with partners in National Park efforts to preserve it. In May 2003, descent to arrive in the United States Service offices and units, other fed- the National Trust for Historic but the predominance of Filipino eral agencies, and private non-profit Preservation cited Little Manila in migration occurred during the 20th organizations to provide students of its list of 11 most endangered places. century. Today, there are about diverse backgrounds with a career The National Trust stated that Little 1.5 million Filipinos in the United exploration experiences. Internships Manila is a testimony to the impor- States, yet only one officially recog- lasting 10 weeks in the summer and tant role played by Filipino Amer- nized historic place for this commu- 15 weeks during a semester offer icans in shaping the United States. nity. Unfortunately, Little Manila is enriching work experiences that are Settlement in Little Manila began being threatened with demolition. developed by intern sponsors who in the early 1920s when Filipino For more information regarding are dedicated to providing students immigrants began to arrive in the Little Manila, visit the National Trust’s with unique learning opportunities. San Joaquin Valley. Early Filipino website at http://www.nthp.org. The continued growth and success of immigrants were primarily agricul- Daphne Dador, a senior at Catholic University of the program would not be possible tural workers who provided the America in Washington, DC, was an intern with without the cooperation