SOURCE: National Parks Conservation Association
WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2021 / PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE / – On Friday, the United States House of Representatives passed the Blackwell School Historic Site Act on a bipartisan basis.
This approval removes one of the latest hurdles in the National Parks Conservation Association’s (NPCA) campaign to establish a national park at Blackwell School. The NPCA will now work to secure approval by the Senate so the law can be enacted and the United States gets a new national park.
Promoted by Representatives Tony Gonzales (R-TX-23) and Filemon Vela (D-TX-34) and Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Alex Padilla (D-CA), the Act to Establish a Historic Site in Blackwell School symbolizes a bipartisan compromise amid arduous national dialogue on the grounds of race.
Until the mid-1900s, school systems throughout the southwestern United States tended to separate Latino students from white students, forcing Latino students to attend other schools with fewer resources. Located in the border city of Marfa, Texas, Blackwell School is one of the last “schools for Mexicans” to remain in good repair.
Many years after the school closed following the integration of the school system, a group of Blackwell alumni formed the non-profit Alliance for Blackwell School, and salvaged the property from possibly destroyed. The Association for the Conservation of National Parks and the Alliance for Blackwell School are leading a grassroots campaign for a park that would honor the historical accounts of Latino students and their families during this little-known chapter of history that has national importance. It is time for Congress to establish a national park in Blackwell.
For years the NPCA has led campaigns to establish national parks dedicated to history with a focus on diversity, including the National Monument for Civil Rights in Birmingham and the National Monument at Stonewall. At the NPCA, we believe that the national park system must be enlarged in order for the full history of the United States to be enacted, which includes historical accounts such as those kept by the Blackwell School and other sites.
Statement from Theresa Pierno, President and CEO of the Association for the Conservation of National Parks:
“As our country continues to address urgent and endemic issues based on race, identity and institutional discrimination, we must act today to protect sites such as the Blackwell School, so that now and in the future, we can relate important historical accounts about of our past.
“Stories about the difficulties Latino students faced at Blackwell, as well as their ability to overcome discrimination, teach us about the past, present, and future of the United States. That is why we have worked to ensure may this historical account be safeguarded within the National Park System, to immerse ourselves in a painful part of our history, and to understand and never forget what these students endured and overcame at Blackwell.
“As advocates of parks and students of history, we thank our leaders in the House of Representatives for passing the National Law to Establish a Historic Site at Blackwell School. Now let’s hope the Senate side with the Blackwell students and their descendants and establish a national park there. “
Statement from Gretel Enck, President of the Alliance for Blackwell School:
“The alumni of the Blackwell School have worked for years to preserve the place of their teachings and their historical accounts. It is a grassroots effort that commemorates a significant chapter in American history, in a physical space where people live and breathe history.
“The National Park Service is one of the best rapporteurs of the history of the United States, and so we know that Blackwell will be in good hands once the bill is effectively signed into law.
“We are pleased to hear that the members of the House of Representatives, especially Tony Gonzales and Filemon Vela, recognize the national significance of our school and what it entails in promulgating a broader account of the Latino experience in the United States. United. We are hopeful that the Senate will carry forward the torch for Blackwell. “
