Unearthed Urbanisms tells buried stories of Black cultural spaces within cities across the Americas. Combining urban history with on-the-ground fieldwork and storytelling, this project archives community stories to expand collective memory and imagine new futures.
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Black labor and culture were foundational to the development of cities, colonies, and countries over the past 500 years. Africans and their descendants were forced across the Atlantic to literally build the places we know today. Despite the violence enacted against them, they carried their building techniques, spiritual practices, food, music, and art across the ocean to fundamentally shape the western hemisphere. But those foundations are under threat. Racist policies and systemic defunding have eroded and displaced Black communities throughout the continent. This project documents the Black cultural spaces and urban stories that have shaped the hemisphere.
Unearthed Urbanisms is a platform dedicated to excavating the truth behind Black cultural and urban contributions throughout the Americas. It documents stories behind cultural spaces: places of worship, markets, restaurants, music schools, museums, and memorials. It also archives cultural spaces that have already been gentrified or erased from city maps. The mission is to share these stories and equip Black communities to preserve and build spaces within their cities. Remembering our stories is part of the path toward writing new ones.
Wayne Anthony is a visual artist, writer, and researcher whose work explores African diaspora culture, architecture, and urban history. His research examines the ways Afro-descendant communities have shaped cities across Latin America, often in ways overlooked by prevailing urban and historical narratives. His work excavates these spatial stories and expands their place within collective memory.
The Linda & Turan Duda Travel Research Fellowship