An Inclusive America Should Mean Inclusive National Parks

Nidhi Thakar writes that policymakers should build a more inclusive park system that both preserves the nation’s history and envisions American identity years from now.

Our national parks and monuments should honor all Americans. Yet today, less than one-quarter of all monuments and national park units in the United States tell the full story of our nation’s rich history and reflect the mosaic that we are today.

With the National Park Service’s centennial a little over a year away, now is the time to rethink how we view our national parks and monuments.

Last month, the U.S. Department of the Interior came one step closer to fixing this problem by designating the Henry Gerber House in Chicago as a National Historic Landmark to honor the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. This is only the second time in U.S. history in which a National Historic Landmark has been designated for the LGBT community. And yet, there are no national parks or monuments dedicated to this community, even though the LGBT movement has deeply shaped our nation just as the Civil Rights movement.

The above excerpt was originally published in Roll Call. Click here to view the full article.

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