Legislation Introduced to Reauthorize the African American Civil Rights Network

June 17, 2026 by Pam Bowman

Elizabeth MacQueen’s 2013 sculpture "The Four Spirits" marks the edge of Kelly Ingram Park, across the street from 16th Street Baptist Church.

photo by: Lynsey Weatherspoon

Kelly Ingram Park and Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, Birmingham, Alabama. Sixteenth Street Baptist Church is a member of the African American Civil Rights Network.

On June 11, Representatives Jim Clyburn (D-SC) and Mike Carey (R-OH) and Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) introduced the Renewing the African American Civil Rights Network Act (H.R.9269 / S.4767).

The African American Civil Rights Network (AACRN), a National Park Service (NPS) program, connects more than 130 historic sites, NPS units, and research programs dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement.

This bipartisan and bicameral legislation would reauthorize AACRN for an additional ten years. Its authorization lapsed in January 2025. Without Congressional action, no sites have an opportunity to join this vital network.

Send your members of Congress a letter asking that they cosponsor and support the Renewing the African American Civil Rights Network Act.

Travel with us on an epic trip along Historic Route 66, and help preserve an iconic piece of Americana.

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