Cantwell Co-Sponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Reauthorize the African American Civil Rights Network

Cantwell Co-Sponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Reauthorize the African American Civil Rights Network

Would authorize National Park Service to coordinate activities honoring the civil rights movement

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, today joined her colleagues in co-sponsoring the Renewing the African American Civil Rights Network Act. The proposed legislation reauthorizes this important program, which Congress created expressly to recognize the importance of the African American civil rights movement and the sacrifices made by the people who fought against discrimination and segregation. The original law authorized the National Park Service to coordinate and facilitate federal and non-federal activities to commemorate, honor, and interpret the history of the African American civil rights movement, its significance as a crucial element in the evolution of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and its relevance to fostering the spirit of social justice and national reconciliation. However, the law expired on January 8, 2025. The legislation would reauthorize the original law and extend it for 10 years so the program can continue to coordinate federal and non-federal efforts to preserve civil rights history.

Last week, Sen. Cantwell joined religious leaders, voting rights advocates, and her Senate colleagues at a roundtable forum to honor the life and legacy of the late Representative John Lewis - a lifelong champion for civil rights and voting rights - before the sixth anniversary of his passing. Sen. Cantwell said, "I can just tell you, as somebody who's old enough to remember the '60s and the civil rights efforts of my parents and the fight for civil liberties, I'm inspired just to be in the room with you, because it gives us confidence as we now fight for what is essentially our constitutional rights, for civil liberties, and for voting, are under threat by the President of the United States."

She said of the current threats to voting rights, "This is just as important as 1964. We have to remember this heritage. The task that they accomplished was harder than this task," but "I take solace in knowing the success that that movement made … historic efforts of people just like you to come together to put the pressure on to explain what was really at stake: our ability to have our voice heard through casting a ballot to move our country forward."

Specifically, the Renewing the African American Civil Rights Network Act helps remember this heritage by:

• Extending the authorization for the African American Civil Rights Network (AACRN) for 10 years;
• Enhancing the visibility of nationally significant civil rights sites and ensures their access to technical assistance and information sharing supported by the National Park Service; and
• Creating a network of resources for historic preservation of sites that played a key role in the civil rights movement.

The legislation is led by U.S. Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Tim Scott (R-SC) and Congressmen James E. Clyburn (D, SC-06) and Mike Carey (R, OH-15).

The network connects 130 historical sites and facilities related to the Civil Rights Movement - including a number of sites central to the fight for voting rights, such as:

• Tabernacle Baptist Church (Selma, AL) the site of the first mass meeting of the Selma Voting Rights Movement and significant voter registration strategy meetings;
• Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail (AL) follows the 1965 voting rights marches eastward along U.S. Highway 80, beginning at the welcome center at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge - where as a young man, John Lewis was viciously beaten, along with scores of other peaceful marchers, during the March 7, 1965, march that became known as Bloody Sunday;
• Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home (Jackson, MS) celebrates a couple who were important civil rights leaders: Medgar Evers, who directed NAACP voter registration drives and civil rights investigations and was assassinated outside their home, and Myrlie Evers, who became the national chairwoman of the NAACP and worked to see her husband's killer eventually brought to justice more than three decades later; and
• Perry County Courthouse (Marion, AL) saw civil rights demonstrations outside its doors that helped shape the course of the modern civil rights movement, including the demonstration when Jimmie Lee Jackson was killed - which directly inspired marches in Selma, including the Bloody Sunday march.

"This legislation will enable the continuation of this vital National Park Service program, linking together the people, places, and moments from the African American Civil Rights movement and preserving and sharing this monumental chapter of our nation's history," said Dr. Jocelyn Imani, Director of Black History and Culture at Trust for Public Land. "As we reflect on the enduring pursuit of those self-evident truths first penned in our Declaration of Independence 250 years ago, we urge Congress to advance and pass this important legislation."

"The National Trust for Historic Preservation's Action Fund and its partners are proud to stand in solidarity with organizations across the African American Civil Rights Network (AACRN) in affirming that sustained support for this National Park Service program is critical to preserving a powerful and uniquely American legacy for future generations. The AACRN is a vital network of preservation partners committed to telling the full story of America's civil rights journey," said Brent Leggs, executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and strategic advisor to the CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

"We are at the epicenter of history being contested, with adamant attempts at erasure. The African American Civil Rights Network is essential for truth-telling," said Shavon Arline-Bradley, President & CEO of National Council of Negro Women, Inc.

Full text of the legislation is available HERE and a one pager can be found HERE.