U.S. Representative Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) introduced new legislation (HR3683) on Monday that would create an African American Civil Rights Network within the National Park Service. The following is a statement from Stephanie Meeks, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation:

“We applaud Rep. Clay’s introduction of the African American Civil Rights Network Act of 2015. By linking the historic sites, routes, corridors, and regions that defined the struggle for African American equality, this bill will deepen our understanding of the relationships between the people and places of the modern Civil Rights movement, and help us to better appreciate its context and complexity. Creating programming that ties together sites, activities, and research on civil rights will produce a richer and more complete picture of a critical time in our nation’s history.

“We thank Rep. Clay for leading the effort to create the African American Civil Rights Network. It represents a crucial advancement in how the diverse stories of our nation’s heritage are told.”

BACKGROUND ON THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS NETWORK ACT OF 2015

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).