Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., National Historic Site Act

The bill creates the Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., National Historic Site in Georgia as an official unit of the National Park System. The site is meant to preserve and explain both the historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church, where Dr. Abernathy served as pastor during the modern civil rights movement, and his role as a civil rights leader. The exact boundary of the site is based on a specific map on file with the National Park Service. The Secretary of the Interior may acquire land and interests in land within that boundary by donation, purchase from willing sellers using donated or federal funds, or land exchanges. Land owned by the State of Georgia or its cities and counties can only be added if those governments choose to donate it. The site is not officially established until the Secretary of the Interior decides that enough land has been acquired to make it a “manageable unit.” Within 30 days of that decision, the Secretary must publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing the site’s establishment. Once the site is established, the National Park Service must manage it under the usual national park laws. Within three years after funding is first provided, the Secretary must complete a management plan that sets out how the site will be operated and protected. The Secretary may also enter into agreements, leases, or other arrangements with the State of Georgia and other groups to help provide educational programs, interpretive signs and exhibits, tours, parking and other facilities, and to preserve historic and cultural resources at or related to the site.

The bill would add a new civil rights–related site to the National Park System, focused on Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., and the West Hunter Street Baptist Church. This could give the public more access to information about the civil rights movement and one of its key leaders through tours, exhibits, and educational programs. Making the site part of the National Park System could bring federal support for preserving the church and related resources. It may also affect the surrounding community by increasing visitor traffic and creating more formal partnerships between the National Park Service, the State of Georgia, and local organizations. The exact economic and community impacts are not detailed in the bill and are unclear from the text alone.

• Establishes a new unit of the National Park System in Georgia honoring Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., centered on the West Hunter Street Baptist Church.
• The site is created to preserve, protect, and interpret both the church and Abernathy’s role as an internationally recognized civil rights leader.
• The park’s boundary must match the “Proposed Boundary” shown on a specific map (P99/184,019, dated August 2022) kept on file by the National Park Service.
• The Secretary of the Interior may acquire land for the site by donation, purchase from willing sellers with donated or appropriated funds, or exchange.
• Land owned by the State of Georgia or local governments can only be included in the site if donated, not purchased.
• The site is not officially established until the Secretary determines that enough land has been acquired to form a manageable unit.
• Within 30 days of that determination, the Secretary must publish a notice of establishment in the Federal Register.
• The site must be managed under general National Park System laws in title 54 of the U.S. Code.
• A management plan for the site is required within three years after funds are first made available to carry out the Act.
• The Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements, leases, or other agreements to support interpretive services, educational activities, signage, exhibits, tours, and preservation efforts on or related to the site.

• The site legally comes into existence only after the Secretary of the Interior decides that enough land has been acquired; until then, it is not an active park unit.
• State- or locally owned land cannot be bought for the site, only donated, which may limit how the final boundary is assembled in practice.
• The bill allows cooperative agreements and educational work “within or outside” the site boundary, so National Park Service activities related to this site could extend beyond the physical park area.
• Technology-based interpretive devices are specifically mentioned, which may lead to digital or off-site interpretation in addition to traditional on-site exhibits.