How historic preservationists are fighting industry in Louisiana

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A movement taking root in communities along the Mississippi River is raising complicated questions over Black history and how it should be preserved, marking a new chapter in the fight between activists and the industrial plants that dot the region, reports NOLA.com.

The emerging effort was on display last week, when dozens of architects, historians and students from around the country boarded a bus for a nearly seven-hour journey along River Road in St. John the Baptist Parish.

The participants in the annual conference with the National Trust for Historic Preservation did not come to marvel at architectural wonders or monuments typically associated with their subject, but to learn about the industrialization in St. John’s east bank and the agricultural landscapes on its west side. Read more.