Historic Preservation Month and Santa Barbara Received Preservation and Planning Awards

May is Historic Preservation Month and a perfect time to celebrate Santa Barbara’s leadership in historic preservation. Santa Barbara’s African American/Black Historic Context Statement just received awards from the California Preservation Foundation and the California Chapter of the American Planning Association Central Coast Section. To acknowledge the awards, City Council will be issuing a Historic Preservation Month Proclamation on May 9, 2023, recognizing the City’s leadership in Historic Preservation. 

The architectural history of Santa Barbara’s African American/Black community is one way to recognize the contributions and achievements of Black leaders, cultural bearers, and institution builders and tell the stories of an underserved and often overlooked community in Santa Barbara’s rich history. Santa Barbara recognizes that prioritizing the preservation of African American/Black historic resources has become a means of empowerment and education in Santa Barbara.