The main priority in any emergency should always be the protection of human life. Still, as a cultural organization committed to the protection of cultural property for the benefit of the future, we know that cultural heritage is deeply connected to people and to communities. Cultural spaces, objects, art, buildings, and traditions are fundamental to identity and should be preserved and protected.
Our country is experiencing turbulent times, and this unrest is raising questions about how we can preserve and protect our own cultural heritage. Here at the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield, we have curated a few useful resources for those who are preparing for unrest, those who are thinking about how to protect their cultural spaces, and those who are striving to be proactive when it comes to cultural property protection:
- USCBS founder and Board member, Cori Wegener, gave this keynote address at the Historic New England Summit in November of 2025, and, in it, offers strategies for protecting cultural property in unprecedented times.
- This article, titled “Preparing for Civil Unrest and War in Cultural Properties,” was published by ASIS International on their Security Management website.
- Majestic Collaborations created this guide with infographics which lists practical steps to protect cultural spaces and places.
In the coming weeks, we will be hosting a webinar on emergency preparedness. More information will be circulated as it becomes available.
Thank you for the work that you do to protect cultural property. In the words of Cori Wegener, “Together, we can build a stronger network; one that recognizes preparedness as shared work, and that heritage is a public good worth fighting for.”
Image is a still from Cori Wegener’s Keynote Address at the Historic New England Summit 2025, “Saving Our History: Disaster Preparedness in Turbulent Times.”
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