I am pleased to share that our petition to redesignate Arlington House as a National Historic Site has reached 5,500 signatures. Thank you to everyone who is supporting this effort. This has not been easy, especially over the last year and a half. Reaching these milestones is so important to acknowledge and celebrate. I was just reminded by a good friend and colleague, we've been through a lot, but still, we rise! Indeed, we rise! We continue to make progress on this journey, educating and inspiring people across the country. As people learn about the history of Arlington House plantation, it becomes a no brainer that Arlington House should be a national historic site. Here is a shout-out to our supporters in Utah. You’ve brought us to 5,500 with your 51 signatures. We appreciate you. One of our intermediate goals has been to strive for 50 people from every state to sign the petition. With Utah joining the fifty-signature club, we are now at 23 States and the District of Columbia with 50 or more signatures. Louisiana (49), Minnesota (47) and Wisconsin (47) are almost there, too. We continue to encourage you to help us on this journey. Share the petition with friends, family, neighbors and colleagues 18 years of age or older. Tell them about this challenging effort and ask them to consider supporting it. Look at the chart. Do you have contacts in the 27 states that have not reached the 50-signature club? Help us to get there. This has made a difference is getting more people in Congress to become co-sponsors on the House bill.

With the help of others recently, I have further increased my understanding about the history of the Arlington House name and designation. It started out as Arlington House when it became a NPS site and went through name changes after that. In 1955 the designation was changed to a memorial for Robert E. Lee. Lee is certainly part of the story, but he is not THE story. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the Brown vs. Board of Education case. That court decision prompted Congressman Joel T. Broyhill, a segregationist in Virginia, to set out on a mission to use Arlington House to make a statement about our divided country. A colleague of mine, Dr,  W. Caleb McDaniel, has written a blog article titled ‘How “Arlington House” Became “the Robert E. Lee Memorial”’. From that article and with help, a 2-page summary with talking points has been created. Give them a read. I hope they inspire you again to help us continue this challenging journey.

Currently, there are 133 co-sponsors in the House for Joint Resolution 63 (H.J. Res.63). We expect that number to continue to grow. As we work to educate elected officials in Congress on both sides of the aisle, our goal is to help make this legislation bipartisan. With your help and some continued effort, we can get there. Write to your Representative and Senators. Tell them that you support H.J. Res.63 and the Senat bill, S.J. Res. 105, and that you want them to support the legislation, too. Share the talking points in the 2-page summary. If your elected officials happen to be part of the Republican caucus, we can especially use your help and your voice. Hold your elected officials accountable. As their constituent, tell them why this legislation is important to you and that you want, need and expect their help to get passed.

With all that is going on in the US today, this effort may seem like a distraction, but it not. National Parks have censored content. Issues like Arlington House can be used to educate and inspire our country to do better. With your help we can acknowledge that sharing our complete history is extremely important and then do something to make that so. 6,000 signatures, “we’re coming for you.”

Visit the redesignation website here and share it with family, friends and colleagues.