Today President Biden signed into law the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park Expansion and Redesignation Act (S. 270) that will help share the full history of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, which led to the end of the separate but equal doctrine in public education and mandated the desegregation of public schools.

After a multi-year advocacy campaign led by the National Trust in collaboration with our partners, last month the Senate and House both passed the bill, unanimously sending it to President Biden for his signature.

The rich history of the Brown v. Board case and its consolidation of multiple court cases from communities representing plaintiffs in Kansas, Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia, and the District of Columbia is an inspiring example of activism and courage in the struggle for educational equity and social justice.

The innovative legislation enacted into law today helps connect these communities and tell their stories within the National Park System through creating National Park Service Affiliated Areas in Delaware, Virginia, and the District of Columbia and expanding the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas to include related sites in South Carolina.

Your advocacy helped make this victory possible! Thank you for joining us in supporting this effort to appropriately recognize the contributions of all the communities involved and help tell a fuller American story. We look forward to sharing more with you as we collectively work to help make these new additions to the National Park System a success.

P.S. Interested in going in-depth into this and other preservation policy issues? Sign up for our monthly government relations newsletter to learn more.