Saving the Story: Resistance Roles in the Fight for Preservation
Defunding preservation means erasing stories—especially those of Black, Indigenous, and marginalized communities. Cultural resistance starts with remembering.
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While historic preservation has not been officially dismantled, current actions suggest it is under deliberate threat.
In recent months, State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) across the country have sounded the alarm: federally appropriated funds for FY 2025 haven’t been released, and many offices are preparing for layoffs. On top of that, the President’s proposed FY 2026 budget calls for cutting the Historic Preservation Fund entirely—a fund that’s been in place for over 50 years.
This isn’t just a bureaucratic crisis. It’s a direct threat to the memory of who we are, what we’ve built, and what we choose to preserve.
What Is the Historic Preservation Fund?
The Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) was established in 1976 as part of a bipartisan effort to safeguard America’s historical and cultural resources. It’s administered by the National Park Service and was designed to fulfill the mandates of the National Historic Preservation Act (1966)—which aimed to ensure that our national development wouldn’t come at the cost of erasing our past.
The HPF provides critical financial support to:
State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs and THPOs)
National Register of Historic Places nominations
Section 106 reviews (ensuring federal projects don’t harm historic resources)
Historic Tax Credit projects that incentivize restoration over demolition
Preservation education, research, and community outreach
Importantly, the HPF is not funded by taxpayer income taxes—it’s sourced from offshore oil lease revenues. The idea was simple: use the profits of environmental extraction to safeguard our shared cultural environment.
Why Is It So Critical Now?
Next year, the United States will mark its 250th anniversary. But instead of investing in the sites, stories, and structures that shaped this nation, the federal government is poised to sever its commitment to the very infrastructure meant to preserve them.
For decades, communities across the country have benefited from HPF-funded initiatives—from revitalized main streets and restored courthouses to preserved Indigenous heritage sites and public education programs. These projects not only celebrate our collective history but generate economic development, tourism, and local pride.
Without the HPF:
Archaeological sites may be lost to development before they can be studied.
Black, Indigenous, and other marginalized histories may be erased for lack of funding to document and protect them.
Thousands of restoration jobs and local economies will be gutted, particularly in rural areas and Tribal lands.
The National Register process will slow or stop, and historic tax credit projects will stall—hurting small towns and cultural tourism.
The entire Section 106 review process weakens, giving federal agencies more unchecked power to bulldoze through irreplaceable history.
This isn’t about nostalgia.
It’s about memory—and who gets to keep it.
What happens when a government decides your history doesn’t matter?
Right now, the federal Historic Preservation Fund is under threat. Funding delays have pushed State Historic Preservation Offices to the brink of layoffs. The next federal budget proposes eliminating the fund entirely. That means historic sites will be lost, archaeological records will vanish, and entire communities may be erased from our shared memory.
This isn’t just about buildings or budgets. It’s about cultural amnesia—engineered from above.
And, preserving memory isn’t just the responsibility of preservationists, archaeologists, and the federal government—it’s ours too.
Cultural resistance means recognizing the interconnectedness of power, memory, and identity. No matter what role you play, you have something to contribute.
What Can You Do? Start With Who You Are.
Resistance doesn’t start with a petition.
It starts with you.
Where you are, right now.
Below, you’ll find five resistance identities adapted from What Are We Supposed To Do?, our field guide for cultural resilience. Each one includes tactical ideas tied to the HPF crisis.
If you’re a teacher or educator…
You’re a defender of truth. The HPF crisis is a teachable moment. Use it.
Try this:
Run a local “What Was Here” campaign. Have students or community members research and share stories of erased or threatened historic sites in your area.
Post on bulletin boards, community libraries, or Instagram. Link back to NCSHPO and local SHPOs.
Facilitate a teach-in or panel about cultural erasure, inviting archaeologists, tribal historians, or local elders.
If you’re a writer, journalist, or researcher…
You’re a storyteller. Now’s the time to preserve what power wants forgotten.
Try this:
Document endangered places. Write a profile of a local historic site or community heritage landmark at risk. Interview someone whose career depends on SHPO work. Publish it widely—even in your neighborhood newsletter.
Submit FOIA requests or track delayed projects to build public pressure. Transparency is resistance.
If you’re an artist or musician…
You’re a memory-keeper. Use your medium to defend what makes us human.
Try this:
Host a performance at a threatened or forgotten historic site. Use it as a fundraiser, protest, or storytelling session.
Make art about what’s being erased. Murals, music videos, photo essays. Collaborate with archaeologists or preservationists to amplify their work.
If you’re a community organizer or mutual aid networker…
You’re a bridge-builder. Make the invisible visible—and make it matter locally.
Try this:
Adopt a site. Choose a local place of cultural or historical significance and gather a group to support, document, and advocate for it. Use mutual aid structures to support volunteers.
Print and share this blog post, NCSHPO’s alert, or your own call-to-action at churches, barbershops, and mutual aid pop-ups.
If you’re a caregiver, service worker, or supporter behind the scenes…
You’re the backbone. Resistance needs you steady and visible. Often, caregivers and service workers are the quiet stewards of cultural continuity—supporting elders, passing down family histories, and holding space for collective memory.
Try this:
Organize a cultural memory night. Share meals, memories, and stories of local heritage and ancestral wisdom. Frame it as a community preservation ritual.
Volunteer to transcribe or digitize historic records for local nonprofits, archives, or community centers that have lost funding.
What Unites Us All?
The HPF threat is a test. Not just of preservation policy, but of our cultural resilience.
We don't all need to play the same role. We need each person to play theirs well.
Whatever your lane, whatever your gifts, whatever your time or risk level: Pick something. Then do it.
Because they’re not just defunding preservation—they’re defunding memory.
And we are made to remember.
Learn More and Take Action
Whether you're just getting started or ready to deepen your role, these resources can help you connect, learn, and act:
Historic Preservation Fund Overview (National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/historicpreservation/historic-preservation-fund.htm
A detailed overview of what the HPF is, how it works, and why it matters—straight from the agency that administers it.
National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO):
The advocacy organization representing every SHPO in the U.S.—includes news alerts, state contacts, and policy updates.
National Trust for Historic Preservation - Action Center:
Tools, petitions, and campaigns from a leading nonprofit dedicated to protecting historic places and stories.
What Are We Supposed To Do? – Torch & Tinder Field Guide
Available free at: https://ko-fi.com/s/829d018c73
Our practical guide for cultural resistance—outlining resistance roles, tactics, and narrative strategies for the long haul.
Beautiful Trouble – Creative Resistance Toolkit:
A global resource for organizing, creativity, and direct action—ideal for groups looking to amplify resistance with strategy and flair.
The past won’t protect itself. Feel free to print this, share it, or remix it for your own community.
You are the signal.
Keep your torchlight burning.
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