Historic Preservation of Civil Rights Sites

Probably the most well-known event in the struggle for LGBTQ rights, the 1969 uprising at the Stonewall Inn in New York City brought the issue of queer rights into the spotlight. It helped to build solidarity among queer groups that were ready to take a stand against police harassment and violence.

The Stonewall National Monument cultural landscape includes the streets and locations of the Stonewall Uprising, which took place from June 28 and July 3, 1969. While it was not the start or end of the fight for gay rights, the events at the Stonewall Inn and the surrounding streets of Greenwich Village in New York City were a major catalyst in organizing the modern LGBTQ civil rights movement. The streets, parks, and buildings of the landscape help reflect this history.

In 1924 Henry Gerber founded the Society for Human Rights, the first gay rights organization in the United States. While he was in the Army, Gerber was stationed in Coblenz, Germany. While there, he experienced a more open homosexual community than in America. After his return to the U.S. in 1923, Gerber distanced himself from what he saw as a disorganized, politically unaware gay subculture, choosing instead to live in relative anonymity in a boarding house in Chicago, Ill.

Working from his home in Northwest Washington, DC, Dr. Frank Kameny applied the ideas of the burgeoning civil rights movement to challenge and change negative perceptions of homosexuality and to fight discriminatory public policy.

Learn about Bayard Rustin and his contribution to the Civil Rights Movement.

Curiosity Kits inspire exploration and learning of history through place. These multi-piece resources include articles that explore historic places and provide educational activities for life-long learners. This kit focuses on Bayard Rustin, an important figure of the Civil Rights Movement. He organized some of the most iconic protests, including the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963).

The National Park Service today announced $1,250,000 for 20 projects in 17 states and the District of Columbia for the survey and nomination of places and properties associated with groups that are underrepresented on the National Register of Historic Places.

The singer’s outdoor concert became a symbol for Civil Rights activism nation-wide.

Carter G. Woodson’s best-known contribution occurs every February. He initiated celebration of the first Negro History Week in 1926, focusing on black history. Woodson chose the second week of February for Negro History Week because it corresponds with the birthdays of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Over the years, support grew, and the week became a month in 1976. February of each year is now Black History Month.

The National Park Service (NPS) today announced $25.7 million in Save America’s Treasures grants to fund 59 projects that will preserve nationally significant sites and historic collections in 26 states and the District of Columbia.