"'Placing more of our shared history on the collective mantelpiece' of American history

President Obama, continuing his practice of honoring and protecting the nation's natural and cultural heritage by naming five new national monuments in the closing weeks of his presidency. In keeping with the National Park Service's on-going initiatives to expand our nationally recognized heritage sites to more broadly and inclusively reflect our full history, three of the new monuments honor important aspects of the long struggle for civil rights for African Americans.

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Obama names five new national monuments, including Southern civil rights sights

By Juliet Elperin and Brady Dennis

The Washington Post

January 12, 2017