MEL JAMES
Mel James is a Heritage Conservationist in the USA.
“I didn’t return to school to study jails, incarceration, or women. I thought I’d get my degree and return to Northern California. Life had other plans. My research has been a journey, and I can now say I am honored to be a conduit for reconciliation at carceral heritage sites. It is essential and timely work. As more cities start to develop their decaying, abandoned carceral facilities, spatial planning professionals must find better strategies to deal with previously ignored histories and the emotional residue of these places. Economic devlopment through reuse is important, but so is honoring the memory held in spaces.”
Mel grew up in the Sacramento River Delta in California, USA, but spent a lot of time socially in the San Francisco Bay Area.
They obtained their BA in History from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), and minored in Music and African and African American Studies. Mel was a classically trained clarinetist for over 20 years.
After earning a BA, Mel immediately entered the Teaching Credential/Masters in Education dual degree program at the UC Davis Graduate School of Education.
They started their professional career in Sacramento, California’s capital city. Mel worked in noprofit program administration and development as well as K-adult history education.
Mel’s career change to Heritage Conservation/ Historic Preservation was fueled by their desire to learn how to document the built environment of historically underinvested communities, Mel also wanted to learn processes to reconcile public spaces/monuments related to traumatic histories.
Through coursework and internships Mel has documented California heritage associated with Japanese Americans, Women, African Americans, Native Americans, and LGBTQIA+ communities.
Now in a doctoral program, Mel plans to dig deeper into research of carceral heritage sites and how they are managed and reused.