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Some of the most debated issues today—anti-war activism, civil rights, gay rights, women’s rights, Native rights, disability rights, and more—have been the subject of historic acts of protests, civil disobedience, and dissent, some dating to the Colonial era. The histories of some of these protests are at risk of erasure, fading from public memory, or worse, being forgotten. And, the threat is accelerating. As the  recently reported, federal “agencies have flagged hundreds of words to limit or avoid ... in government memos, in official and unofficial agency guidance and in other documents.” Examples include the terms “Native American” and “cultural heritage.” As the Times noted: “That shift is already apparent on hundreds of federal government websites.” To highlight the range of threats to several historic protests ������Ƶ (TCLF) will host the new Landslide In Action series of FREE webinars, sponsored by , that will feature dynamic speakers who will reveal amazing stories about the ordinary people who dared to shape history, how the powerless became empowered, and the places where that happened. 

Each of the eight 75-minute-long FREE webinars will showcase issues and people featured in TCLF’s report and digital exhibition Landslide 2024: Demonstration Grounds. Here are three examples:

1. A major precursor to the 1969 Stonewall protests, often seen as the genesis of the modern gay rights movement, were the “Annual Reminder Day” marches that took place for five years every July 4^th on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall beginning in 1965. Independence Mall and the Stonewall National Monument are maintained by the National Park Service (NPS); recently, written recognition of and have been deactivated on NPS’ website and the Stonewall website was altered to remove references to "transgender" and "queer," the TQ in LGBTQ. Webinar participants will address the significance of the 1960s protests and erasure of its history;
2. The 28.5-mile stretch of fortified Mississippi Riverbanks in Louisiana’s St. John the Baptist Parish have born witness to centuries of history and three key movements of protest, including one of the largest slave revolts in America (1811). An eleven-mile stretch was under consideration for designation as a National Historic Landmark; federal officials in February 2025. Founders of the Descendants Project and subject-area experts will discuss the region’s significance and making visible and amplifying its memory;
3. Student protests at Nashville, Tennessee’s Fisk University in the mid 1920s and at Washington, D.C.’s Gallaudet University in 1988 fundamentally changed how each was governed. Participants will examine the history of these events, their relevance today, and why they should be remembered.

The webinars will take place throughout the year. They are meant to inform, inspire, and provoke while fostering new connections with our shared cultural lifeways and landscape legacies, the stories embedded within them, and how to promote sound public engagement and stewardship. In addition, the webinars will be recorded and posted on along with more than 800 videos produced by the foundation including webinars, oral histories, conferences, and events. The Landslide in Action webinars are free, but registration is required.

Webinar Schedule

Prelude to the Modern Preservation Movement

April 17, 12 pm ET

• Dena Tasse-Winter (Village Preservation)

• Richard Longstreth (George Washington University professor, ret.)

• Laura Feller (National Park Service, ret.)

• Monica Rhodes (Rhodes Heritage Group)

Independence Mall Equal Rights Protests

April 23, 12 pm ET

• Bob Skiba (Curator of Collections at the John J. Wilcox Jr. LGBT Archives at the William Way Community Center)

• Max Dickson (OLIN, PrideScapes)

• Andrew Dolkart (Columbia University)

• Sahar Coston-Hardy (Landslide 2024 Photographer)

Invisible Histories along the Mississippi River

June

• Joy Banner (Descendants Project)

• Susan Turner (Suzanne Turner Associates)

• Brian M. Davis (Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation)

Biscayne Bay Wade-ins 

June

• Kate Flemming (Bridge Initiative)

• Athalie Edwards (Virginia Key Beach Park Trust)

• Loni Johnson (Artist)

Alcatraz Island’s Native American Lifeways 

Summer

City Parks as Stages for Public Protests

Late Summer

• Ron Henderson (Illinois Institute of Technology)

• Spencer Tunnell (Tunnell & Tunnell Landscape Architecture)

• Megan Fitzpatrick (Landmark West!)

   

The Legacy of Two Major Campus Protests

Fall

Elevating and Interpreting Chicano History 

Fall