Trump creates the first national park to honor an African American
The President creates Martin Luther King Jr. National Park in Georgia.
Get access to everything we publish when you sign up for Outside+.
There hasn’t been a lot to celebrate in terms of protecting national parks and monuments lately, but here’s something we can get behind. President Trump signed legislation to proclaim the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site a National Historic Park during a visit to Atlanta last week.
Even though the newly minted national park is a far cry from a wilderness park, it’s a win none the less. The Georgia park is the first of its kind. It expands the boundaries of the former King Center to include the Prince Hall Masonic Temple. This was once used as a headquarters for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is one of only four free days for national parks in 2018.
In a statement, King’s daughter Dr. Bernice King said it was a significant moment since it’s the first national park to honor an African-American. “It also fulfills my mother’s dream of the King Historic District becoming a full-fledged park,” she said.
