President Obama Calls for $50 Million to Restore Historic Civil Rights Sites

In honor of this year’s 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, President Obama has requested $50 million be set aside to restore national parks sites associated with the civil rights movement.

Making the request in his latest budget proposal, POTUS is calling for financial investments at a number of historical sites including the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, and the historic Little Rock Central High School.

According to The Hill, the president is likely to highlight these proposed investments during his visit to Selma next month as he commemorates the 50th anniversary of the historical civil rights marches that fought for the voting rights of African Americans. Recently, attention has been refocused on these marches with the release of Ava DuVernay’s highly talked about film Selma, which spotlighted the efforts of Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders who fought against the disenfranchisement of blacks.

In addition to Obama’s plan to restore the aforementioned sites, state, local and tribal governments can also apply for funds to help preserve the historical sites in their community.