|
Brown, Alexander Call for Hearing on Legislation to Create
National Network of African American Burial Grounds, Ahead
of Black History Month
Senators' Bipartisan Bill
Would Help Identify, Preserve Historically Black Burial
Grounds
Ahead of Black History
Month, U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Lamar
Alexander (R-TN) are called for a hearing on their
bipartisan legislation to create a voluntary, nationwide
network of African-American burial grounds and to provide
federal assistance to ensure the burial sites are preserved
and maintained for future generations. In a letter to Energy
and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski
(R-AK) and Ranking Member Joe Manchin (D-WV), the Senators
urged the committee to hold a hearing on the African
American Burial Grounds Network Act, so that the Senate can
take up and pass the legislation into law.
Brown and Alexander's bill,
the African American Burial Grounds Network Act, would:
* Create a voluntary,
national database within the National Park Service of
historic African American burial grounds and;
* Provide grant
opportunities and technical assistance to local partners to
research, identify, survey and preserve the burial grounds.
"Under the stain of slavery,
Jim Crow, and racism, generations of African Americans were
barred from burying their loved ones on the same land as
their neighbors. Because of these restrictions, many of
these burial grounds were located in rural areas, on
undesirable land far from their communities' centers, and
were otherwise denied the same level of support as other
community cemeteries. As a result, many of these final
resting grounds are now unknown, unmarked, or in serious
disrepair," the senators wrote in the letter.
For many African American
burial sites, there is no official record or database of
where these sites are located. Creating and maintaining a
network of African-American burial grounds will help
communities preserve local history while better informing
development decisions and community planning.
Brown and Alexander's bill
has the support of more than 50 organizations around the
country, including the Coalition for American Heritage,
Union Baptist Cemetery in Cincinnati and Heritage Ohio.
A copy of the Senators'
letter can be read below.
Dear Chairman Murkowski and
Ranking Member Manchin:
As the Energy and Natural
Resources Committee begins the second session of the 116th
Congress, we strongly encourage the Committee to hold a
hearing on the African American Burial Grounds Network Act
(S.2827). This bipartisan, bicameral legislation helps fill
an important gap in protecting and preserving African
American cemeteries and promotes partnerships between the
National Park Service (NPS), non-profits, and the private
sector to ensure that the legacy of these historic sites is
not forgotten.
Under the stain of slavery,
Jim Crow, and racism, generations of African Americans were
barred from burying their loved ones on the same land as
their neighbors. Because of these restrictions, many of
these burial grounds were located in rural areas, on
undesirable land far from their communities' centers, and
were otherwise denied the same level of support as other
community cemeteries. As a result, many of these final
resting grounds are now unknown, unmarked, or in serious
disrepair. Many of these burial grounds face further damage
or destruction due to development.
S.2827 will help prevent
continued damage or destruction of these sites by
authorizing NPS to create a voluntary, nationwide network of
African American cemeteries. NPS would also be directed to
develop a program to assist stakeholders in identifying,
safeguarding, and restoring these historic places. NPS's
expertise would ensure that communities of all sizes,
regardless of their location, would have access to the tools
and information necessary to protect these sites.
As the Committee develops
its hearing schedule for the year, we urge you to include
S.2827 so that the Senate can take up and pass this
legislation into law.
|
