On July 17, 2024, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland officially established Blackwell School National Historic Site in Marfa, Texas as the nation’s newest national park. This park is only the second National Park Service site dedicated specifically to modern Latino history. The school serves as a reminder of the discrimination and de facto segregation of Hispanic Americans that occurred from 1889 to 1965. NRPE applauds this designation as a step towards a more complete and honest telling of American history through our public lands. Read NRPE's full statement here.
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Fourteen national and regional faith organizations urged President Biden to designate Avi Kwa Ame as a National Monument and thus honor his November promise to protect this sacred site. The designation would help protect an ecological important area and wildlife corridor as well as provides recreational access for visitors and nearby communities. Most importantly, this designation would protect the sacred lands and spiritual practices of Tribal communities in the area. “Protecting religious liberty and honoring sacred sites demands that this land be permanentely protected as a national monument,” the groups wrote in their letter to President Biden.
"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Heavy Duty Truck NOX Standard released yesterday is a welcome step in curbing dangerous pollution that so often impacts frontline communities first and worst. This is a move in the right direction to protect God's people and God's creation" -- NRPE Statement
The Camp Hale-Continental Divide designation offers an opportunity to protect an ecological important area and wildlife corridor that provides recreational access for visitors and nearby communities. As a training camp for the U.S. military’s 10th Mountain Division, Camp Hale helped seed Colorado’s ski industry and it also housed an all-white male unit of soldiers commended for their bravery. The determination of the soldiers trained at Camp Hale is to be lauded and a Camp Hale National Monument provides an opportunity to explore and further understand the history of segregation in the U.S. military and offer an opportunity to highlight the contributions of women, Hispanic, Black and other non-white soldiers including those in the more contemporary non-segregated 10th Mountain Division. Camp Hale holds intrinsic value as part of God’s creation, helps visitors and nearby communities connect to God’s creation and allows for our story as a nation to be told through the land. The Camp Hale – Continental Divide offers a unique opportunity to tell an important story in our nation’s history and preserve a valuable part of God’s earth. Additional national monument designations, particularly those that tell fuller and underheard stories of American history, are needed.
NRPE released a report outlining the perspectives and priorities of Black church leaders regarding public lands. Read the report here.State religious leaders across the country called on Congress to act on climate. Black church leaders urged Congress to take climate action along with faith leaders in West Virginia and Arizona.
As a response to the Trump Administration's lease sale, senior religious leaders and state leaders sent letters to Congress urging protection of this sacred place. The leaders joined in solidarity with the Gwich'in community to steward God's creation. Letters were sent from black church leaders and leaders in Arizona, Colorado, Maine, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina and Wisconsin.
Religious Organizations Applaud President Biden's Action to Rejoin Paris Agreement, Address Climate6/23/2021 Religious organizations applauded President Biden's decision to rejoin the Paris Agreement and lauded his Executive Orders on climate change. Click here to view the letter urging Biden to rejoin Paris. National faith leaders offered statements in support of rejoining the Paris Agreement and urged the Biden Administration to take action to address climate change. State religious leaders across the country also called on Congress to take action to address climate change.
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