Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation, Inc. and the Maryland Historical Trust will honor Faye Allen Belt with the 2026 Maryland Preservation Award for Excellence in Community Impact for her decades of work preserving the history of the Crownsville State Hospital and documenting African American heritage in Maryland. Belt’s advocacy, research and community leadership also contributed to Columbia Beach becoming Maryland’s first historic African American community listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2026.
