Bipartisan legislation would establish preservation program through the National Park Service
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) joined Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in introducing the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act, bipartisan legislation which would establish a program at the National Park Service to provide grant opportunities and technical assistance to local partners to research, identify, survey, and preserve historic African American burial grounds across the country.
“Burial grounds are a place of solemn remembrance, allowing us to connect the present with the past and honor the history of our loved ones and communities,” said Senator Romney. “It is important to preserve and protect African-American cemeteries around the country for generations to come.”
“As a nation, we have not invested the necessary resources to preserve these hallowed grounds. That’s why we’ve worked with the community, and with civil rights, veterans, and historic preservation groups to introduce bipartisan legislation to preserve historic Black burial grounds around the country,” said Senator Brown. “Cemeteries like Union Baptist are important historical sites, and they’re tools for education and understanding the American story. We need to act now before these sites are lost to the ravages of time or development.”
Text of the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act can be found here.