Creates a national program to preserve historic Black communities founded after slavery.
This bill would create a new program within the National Park Service to help identify, preserve, and celebrate historic Black communities known as Freedom Settlements. These communities were founded by formerly enslaved people after the Civil War. It would set aside money for grants to help these communities and their descendants protect their heritage.
Today, there is no specific national program within the National Park Service focused on preserving Freedom Settlements. This means federal efforts to identify, research, and fund the protection of these historic Black communities are not coordinated. If this bill passes, the National Park Service would create a new program to offer grants, conduct studies, and maintain a public registry, with $3 million made available each year from 2026 to 2031 to pay for these efforts.
HR 1704 · 119th Congress · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 9/10
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