The "Black Settlements In America" study began in 1975 to document the roles of African Americans in the development of the built American landscape. In 1979 the National Endowment for the Arts Design Arts Program awarded a fellowship to Everett L. Fly to study the "Black settlement" as a dynamic phenomenon. More than 800 settlements in 40 states were identified and documented. "Black Settlements In America" has been credited for providing the following:

•National perspective & context

•Credibility for African American   vernacular landscapes & structures   as historic resources

•Prototype research methodology &   strategy

•Reference data base

The National Park Service National Register includes the "Black Settlements In America" methodology in its list of Recommended Reading: Guidelines for Evaluating and Documenting Historic Landscapes.

The Library of Congress African American Mosaic exhibit features the Nicodemus H.A.B.S. project

    Since 1980 Mr. Fly has been     invited to identify, document and     interpret historic Black sites,     structures, enclaves,     neighborhoods, suburbs, towns,     villages, resorts, and settlements     across the United States:

    •National Park Service

    •Municipal , county & state
     government

•National Trust for Historic   Prerservation

•Community development   organizations