Draft Message

Dear Representative:

As a cultural resource management professional and a constituent from [town/city], I urge you to support the African-American Burial Grounds Study Act, a bill that will help protect and preserve African American burial grounds.

African American burial grounds are a vital part of our nation’s heritage. They are the resting places of countless freed slaves, civil rights champions, military veterans, community leaders and beloved family members, many of whom were blocked from being buried in White cemeteries. Many African American burial sites lack any official record or database. Many of these sites have been neglected and abused, effectively erasing the memory of countless Americans whose history deserves to be told.

The African-American Burial Grounds Study Act (S. 2827) directs the National Park Service to study ways to account for and preserve historic African American cemeteries and burial grounds, and to develop ways to provide grant opportunities and technical assistance to local partners to research, identify, survey and preserve these burial grounds. It is based on legislation (H.R. 1179) introduced in the House in 2019 by Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC), which has the support of members from both sides of the aisle.

I urge you and your colleagues to pass a House version of the Senate bill before adjourning for recess.