Dear Mr. President,

The year 2016 will mark the 8th and final year of your presidency, and the Department of the Interior/ National Park Service has still not opened a visitor center or stationed a National Park Service ranger at the African American Civil War Memorial located in Washington, DC. You still have time to correct this great wrong in history before you leave office.

We respectfully request you to direct the Department of the Interior/ National Park Service to establish a visitor's center and assign park rangers permanently to the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, DC. This Memorial lists the names of 209,145 African American Civil War soldiers and their white officers who helped to keep the nation united under one flag and end slavery.

The District of Columbia has already invested $10 million in grants to help build the African American Civil War Memorial and Museum, including $5 million to fund an expansion of the Museum, which is currently underway. However, only the National Park Service can play the significant role of stationing knowledgeable rangers or other employees who can share the rich history of our Civil War heroes with visitors to the Memorial.

We thank you for giving this matter your consideration, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,

Frank Smith, Founding Director 

African American Civil War Memorial Museum