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Log CM for AICP

AICP Mandatory Credit

Inclusive Planning for Social Change

Engaging the Descendant Community to Create Heritage Trail

Saturday, April 25, 2026

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM CT

Location: HPCC, Room 140A-F

CM: 1 Equity

Moderator and Speaker(s)

Michele Mixner DeWitt, AICP (she/her/hers)

Interim City Manager
City of Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia

Slides

Speaker(s)

AT

Andrew Trivette

Williamsburg, Virginia
JC

Janice A. Canaday

African American Community Engagement Manager
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Wiliamsburg, Virginia

Find out how to work with descendant communities on heritage projects. Presenters get into the nitty-gritty of a real-life case study, showing you how they built trust and gave the community a real voice in creating a heritage trail. This isn't about reciting history; it's about changing how we do things in planning.

Learn some practical tools and tips you can take with you, for example:

Find and connect with descendant communities in a respectful way;

Work together to set goals and decide what stories to tell; and

Find ways to get projects funded and place the community at the center of the local government decision-making process.

Realize that this work is an important part of a planner's job. When we empower communities, we build better, more honest, and more equitable projects. Leave with some fresh ideas on how to make a real difference and tell untold stories through your work.
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Learning Objectives:

Find and connect with descendant communities in a respectful way.
Collaborate with the descendant community to establish goals and determine which stories to share.
Find ways to get projects funded and place the community at the center of the local government decision-making process.