Take Action to Ensure Our National Parks and Monuments Honor our Country's True History and Diversity

It is past time we accurately record, acknowledge, learn, and honor our history. Please take action today and honor the Black community by designating Black Wall Street as a national monument by way of a presidential proclamation under the Antiquities Act. When we look at our national symbols, monuments, and public lands, we want all people to feel comfortable, safe, and welcome. We also want to ensure that our monuments accurately reflect critical, though sometimes difficult and dark, moments in US history. To accurately record, acknowledge, learn, and honor our history, our public lands must be representative of the diverse American experience and reflect the contributions of all Americans. And yet, less than a quarter of our nation’s national parks are currently dedicated to acknowledging the histories of BIPOC peoples, movements, and cultures. The Black Wall Street site in particular is an underrecognized story in American history that deserves a place in our history books and among our public monuments. The Antiquities Act is one of the best safeguards to preserve places with cultural, historical, and ecological significance, and doing so would highlight and acknowledge these moments in our history. The diversity of our country has always been and continues to be one of our greatest assets. Making our national parks and monuments more reflective of that diversity directly contributes to a more inclusive America. As we look to the future, we must acknowledge and learn from our past, celebrate the contributions of diverse peoples, and ensure the wrongs against these communities never occur again. A national monument designation for this site would be one small step forward toward that goal.