LETTER: New monuments honor a variety of contributions

lebrating the latest national monuments honoring the fight for civil rights designated by President Barack Obama this past Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Our nation’s history is complex — to say the least. But our diverse history is rarely shared with present generations.

Commemorating historical places — such as the Freedom Riders, Birmingham Civil Rights and Reconstruction Era national monuments — ensures that our complex history is shared with present and future generations so that they learn about the stories, history and contributions of all Americans.

Until the designation of the Reconstruction Era National Monument, the story of the Reconstruction Era had not been told in the more than 400 National Park Service holdings. This period of time between the Civil War and the Jim Crow era is hardly ever mentioned in our history books, yet it is an important time period where great social justice victories were had. Education, land ownership and elected office became a reality for many freed slaves. Sharing these victories brings us closer to having our protected public lands be more reflective.

Protecting places, like the Freedom Riders National Monument, also provides many communities the opportunity for atonement and healing.

National monument designations not only protect these important places but will tell and amplify their important stories to visitors for generations to come.