This bill creates the Historic Greenwood District--Black Wall Street National Monument in Oklahoma as a unit of the National Park System. Its purpose is to preserve, protect, and interpret resources connected to the Greenwood District, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. The monument is established when the Secretary of the Interior determines that a sufficient amount of land or land interests has been acquired. The Secretary must publish a notice in the Federal Register within 30 days of that determination. The monument boundary is shown on a map titled "Greenwood Historic District--Black Wall Street National Monument, Proposed Boundary" (map number 196/188,275, dated August 2024).
The Secretary may acquire land within the boundary by donation, purchase from a willing seller using donated or appropriated funds, or by exchange. The Secretary may enter cooperative agreements with public or private groups to provide interpretation, education, administrative support, and technical help, and may make agreements to mark or interpret historic or cultural resources inside the monument. The bill states that private property rights inside or next to the monument are not affected.
The Secretary will manage the monument under laws that apply to National Park System units. A management plan must be prepared within 3 years after funds are first made available, and the Secretary must consult with an advisory commission when preparing that plan.
The bill establishes an 11-member Historic Greenwood District--Black Wall Street National Monument Advisory Commission to advise the Secretary on monument development and management. Commission membership includes 7 descendants of people who lived or worked in the Greenwood District in 1921, 3 members with experience in historic preservation or related purposes, and 1 member chosen after consideration of recommendations from the Mayor of Tulsa. Members serve 5-year terms, may continue until reappointed or a successor is named, and serve without pay but may receive travel expenses. The commission elects a chair, adopts bylaws, meets by call of the chair or a majority, and terminates 10 years after the monument is established. Section 1013(b) of title 5 (a Federal Advisory Committee Act provision) does not apply to the commission.
If you live near the proposed monument area, the federal government could acquire land there by donation, purchase, or exchange to form the monument. The site will be managed by the National Park Service, which will prepare a management plan and work with the local advisory commission. The bill says private property rights inside or next to the monument remain unchanged. The commission includes descendants and preservation experts to advise on planning and visitor services.
No publicly available information on estimated total costs or appropriations is included in the bill text. The bill allows land purchases using donated or appropriated funds. Commission members serve without compensation, but may receive travel expenses at standard federal rates.
The bill states its purpose is to preserve, protect, and interpret resources of the Greenwood District, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre for the benefit of present and future generations. Supporters would rely on the bill's stated goals and the creation of a National Park Service unit and an advisory commission composed largely of descendants and preservation experts.
No publicly available information on opponents' views is included in the bill text.