Calls to increase diversity in archaeology have been consistent in recent decades; however, archaeologists have found it difficult to increase the number of non-European American archaeologists for a number of reasons. At the same time, there have also been calls to democratize archaeology through community based participatory research. What if there was a way to increase diversity by including local people of color in archaeological fieldwork? This talk summarizes the ongoing archaeological fieldwork conducted by the Society of Black Archaeologists (SBA) on St. Croix, U.S.V.I. The talk uses a community-based public archaeology project at the Estate Little Princess, a former sugar plantation currently administered by the Nature Conservancy, as an example of how community based, collaborative archaeology can help increase the number of African American archaeologists while also incorporating input from black communities into archaeological research. It also explores the connectivity of descendant communities to heritage resources like archaeological sites.

About the Author:

Bill White is an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He specializes in historical archaeology, historic preservation, and cultural resource management. His academic research engages racialization in the United States and how that process shapes race relations in the present.