As part of the Voices Remembered initiative at Preservation Virginia, three student and community preservationists received fellowships through the African American Fellows Program. One of the members of this inaugural class of Fellows is Randall Hazard of Gloucester.

Over the next 10 weeks, Hazard—along with Sonja Branch-Wilson of Cumberland and LaToya Gray Sparks of Richmond—will work with Preservation Virginia staff, learn from mentors and continue research projects in their communities.

The curriculum includes “Preservation 101,” networking with historic preservation groups, experiential learning by visiting historic sites and identifying pathways to historic preservation careers. The program is made possible through a grant from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund.

Planning for the Fellows program began in 2021 through the guidance of an advisory committee of Black leaders, with the goal of increasing the number of African Americans in historic preservation careers. Leading this...