President Donald Trump yesterday signed bills into law to create the African American Civil Rights Network Program and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park within the National Park Service. The following is a statement from Thomas J. Cassidy, Jr., vice president, government relations and policy, National Trust for Historic Preservation:

“Places that reflect the struggle for African-American equality are vital to telling the full story of our nation’s complex history. A network that connects historic sites, routes, corridors, and regions of the Civil Rights Movement brings to life the revolutionary events that happened there and transformed America.

“We thank Reps. Lacy Clay (D-MO) and Jason Smith (R-MO) and Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) for their leadership in the passage of this important legislation to establish the civil rights network program.”

BACKGROUND ON THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS NETWORK ACT

The African American Civil Rights Network Act recognizes the importance of the Civil Rights Movement and the sacrifices made by those who fought against discrimination and segregation of African-Americans. It creates the African American Civil Rights Network Program, which authorizes the National Park Service (NPS) to coordinate sites, activities and research that commemorate, honor and interpret the history of the modern Civil Rights movement (1939-1968).