Maddie is a PhD candidate in the American & New England Studies Program, where she studies urban history and historic preservation with a focus on Boston.\u00a0Her dissertation explores Black Bostonians’ historic preservation efforts from the late nineteenth century onward, a story that comes into clearer focus by reframing what activities constitute preservation work. As a public historian, Maddie wants to collaborate with and bolster Boston\u2019s citizen historians. Her partnership with the Initiative on Cities stems from this same impulse to engage with the modern city\u2014and its challenges and opportunities\u2014with the lessons of history close at hand.<\/p>\n