National parks change prioritizes Trump birthday over days honoring Black people
The Donald Trump administration has changed which holidays qualify for free entrance to national parks, removing two holidays celebrating Black people and adding the president’s birthday.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an annual federal holiday that happens on the third Monday of January, close to the civil rights leader’s Jan. 15 birthday. Historically, it’s been the first fee-free day of the year for national parks, which waive entrance fees several days a year.
Now, visitors to the 116 parks that charge entrance fees will no longer get in for free on MLK Day or on Juneteenth, a federal holiday on June 19 that celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S. They will, however, on Trump’s June 14 birthday, which was added to the list this year. Parks charge admission fees that range from $3 to $30, according to the National Park Service.
“This policy shift is deeply concerning,” said Tyrhee Moore, the executive director of Soul Trak Outdoors, a nonprofit that connects urban communities of color to the outdoors. “Removing free-entry days on MLK Day and Juneteenth sends a troubling message about who our national parks are for. These holidays hold profound cultural and historical significance for Black communities, and eliminating them as access points feels like a direct targeting of the very groups who already face systemic barriers to the outdoors.”
https://www.sfgate.com/national-parks/article/national-parks-change-prioritizes-trump-birthday-21219336.php
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