A bipartisan group of lawmakers reintroduced legislation to reauthorize a National Park Service program that coordinates civil rights history sites for 10 more years.
Based on a release from U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn (SC-06).
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. James E. Clyburn, D-S.C., joined U.S. Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., and U.S. Rep. Mike Carey, R-Ohio, to reintroduce the Renewing the African American Civil Rights Network Act, according to Clyburn’s office.
The legislation would authorize the National Park Service to coordinate federal and non-federal activities to commemorate and interpret the history of the African American civil rights movement and its role in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to Clyburn’s office. The bill would reauthorize the program for 10 years after enactment.
“The importance of this legislation is embodied in that one word — network,” Clyburn said, according to his office. “This legislation is pivotal because it involves a network of 29 states that designate sites for visitation that will grow the economy most especially in rural communities.”
Scott said South Carolina has the largest share of African American Civil Rights Network sites in the country. “We must make sure future generations can walk these historic grounds, learn from our past, and continue striving for a future where the promise of the American Dream is within reach for all,” Scott said, according to Clyburn’s office.
Blunt Rochester said the original African American Civil Rights Network Act of 2017 “cemented the historic Civil Rights Movement’s legacy in communities across the country,” and that reauthorization would continue that work as the nation marks its 250th anniversary, according to Clyburn’s office.
Carey said preserving civil rights sites in Ohio and elsewhere would help future generations understand the nation’s history while increasing tourism and economic activity, according to Clyburn’s office.
Dr. Jocelyn Imani, director of Black History and Culture at Trust for Public Land, and Brent Leggs, executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, both issued statements urging Congress to pass the bill, according to Clyburn’s office.
