Georgia’s Full Story project aims to bring equity to historical archives

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The Georgia’s Full Story Project is working to shake up the historic archives in Georgia.

“There are many Black sites across the state that have been overlooked and really underrepresented in the historic narrative,” said project lead Rebecca Fenwick.

Fenwick works for Ethos Preservation and is the leader of the Georgia’s Full Story project.

She and her team are working to re-evaluate how the National Register of Historical Places operates and evaluates sites in hopes of establishing new criteria.

“Many sites have been overlooked, “ said Fenwick. “To be honest, I don’t think historic preservation in general has been equitable and the National Register is just a product of that”.

In order to create new criteria and highlight diverse places, they want the communities help. They want you to fill out this form and tell them about places you think are worthy of being written in the archives.

Fenwick said Flipper Chapel AME and the Springfield Terrace neighborhood are perfect examples of the kind of places they want to hear about. All you have to do is gather up your stories and maybe some photos and fill out the form.

They are looking for businesses, neighborhoods, and even buildings. They want to hear about any place that may have stood the test of time.

Not all suggestions will end up in the National Register, but all entries help the cause of making them more equitable.

“We know that significance is not always defined by whether or not a building has its original windows,” said Fenwick.

The project will be accepting forms until 2024.

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