Do the Feds Need to Look Into Making Medgar Evers’ Home A National Park? (H.R. 959)

What is H.R. 959?

(Updated January 25, 2018)

This bill would require the Dept. of the Interior (DOI) to conduct a special resource study of the home of the late Medgar Evers in Jackson, Mississippi. Medgar Evers was a civil rights activist who was assassinated in 1963. Depending on the outcome of the feasibility study, Evers' home could become part of the National Park Service.

The DOI’s study would do the following:

• Evaluate the site’s national significance;

• Determine the feasibility of designating the site as a unit of the National Park System;

• Consider alternative ways to preserve, protect, and use the site for education by federal, state, or local governments, and private or nonprofit organizations;

• Consult with above entities, groups, and individuals about preservation options;

• Identify cost estimates for federal acquisition, operation, and maintenance of the site.

Argument in favor

Medgar Evers was a significant leader in the civil rights movement, and preserving his home would educate future generations about his contributions.

Argument opposed

If Medgar Evers’ home is turned into a museum or otherwise preserved, it shouldn’t be done with federal dollars. Let states, cities, and private groups handle it.

Impact

People who would visit Medgar Evers’ home, nonprofit groups and businesses, state and local partner organizations, and the Dept. of the Interior.

Cost of H.R. 959

The CBO estimates that carrying out the proposed study would cost about $200,000.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Medgar Evers was a WWII veteran and civil rights activist who worked with the NAACP.in Jackson, Mississippi. After several previous attempts on his life, he was shot and killed June 12, 1963 at his home.

The National Park Service typically has as many as two-dozen studies similar to what this legislation proposes going on at a given time.

Media:

• CBO Cost Estimate
• The Clarion-Ledger