I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5719 

To establish the Black Panther Party National Historical Park in the State 

of California, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 26, 2023 

Ms. LEE of California introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To establish the Black Panther Party National Historical 

Park in the State of California, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Black Panther Party 

5 National Historical Park Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds as follows: 

8 (1) The Black Panther Party was an integral 

9 part of the civil rights movement and its history and 

10 influence is nationally significant. 


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1 (2) The United States government has not pro2 vided a publicly accessible space to learn about the 

3 history of the Black Panther Party and their con4 tributions to social progress nationwide. 

5 (3) National Park Service has the opportunity 

6 to engage with a large new audience and tell a more 

7 holistic history of the United States by interpreting 

8 the histories of people of color. 

9 (4) The Black Panther Party, originally called 

10 the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was es11 tablished in Oakland, California in 1966 by Huey P. 

12 Newton (Minister of Defense from 1966–1981) and 

13 Bobby Seale (Chairman of the Black Panther Party 

14 from 1966–1974), who met at Merritt College in 

15 Oakland. Oakland, California, was the home of the 

16 Black Panther Party, which came to include more 

17 than forty chapters around the United States and 

18 numerous others elsewhere in the world. 

19 (5) The Black Panther Party was founded in 

20 Oakland, California, to address systemic poverty and 

21 protect the Black community from police brutality. 

22 Although they intended on being a local organiza23 tion, communities across the country were empow24 ered by their message and services, leading to the 


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1 establishment of over 40 chapters across the United 

2 States and many multi-racial and class coalitions. 

3 (6) DeFremery Park is perhaps Oakland’s best 

4 known site for many of the Black Panther Party’s 

5 free community programs, political demonstrations, 

6 rallies, and fundraisers. Panthers and community 

7 members continue to hold a myriad of programs and 

8 direct services at DeFremery Park to commemorate 

9 this legacy. 

10 (7) In 1973, the Black Panther Party estab11 lished the Oakland Community School, an elemen12 tary school that took a holistic approach to edu13 cation, centered around Black history, encouraged 

14 civic participation, fed students, and performed 

15 health screenings. California is now in the process of 

16 establishing ‘‘community schools’’ statewide. 

17 (8) Starting in 1968, the Black Panther Party 

18 established dozens of free medical clinics across the 

19 United States. Then through those clinics, in 1970 

20 the Black Panther Party launched the first nation21 wide sickle cell anemia testing program, which di22 rectly influenced Congress’ decision to pass the Na23 tional Sickle Cell Anemia Control Act of 1972. 

24 (9) In January 1969, the Black Panther Party 

25 created the first ‘‘Free Breakfast for School ChilVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:27 Oct 04, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5719.IH H5719

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1 dren Program’’ in the Nation, eventually feeding 

2 hundreds of thousands of children across the United 

3 States and becoming a model for today’s Federal 

4 school breakfast program. 

5 (10) David Hilliard and Fredrika Newton es6 tablished the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation to 

7 educate both the local community and visitors from 

8 around the world on the history and principles of the 

9 Black Panther Party and its co-founder Dr. Huey P. 

10 Newton. 

11 (11) The cities of Oakland, Berkeley, and Rich12 mond unanimously adopted resolutions urging the 

13 National Park Service to conduct a reconnaissance 

14 survey to determine the appropriateness of a Na15 tional Park Service unit to recognize the historical 

16 significance and contributions of the Black Panther 

17 Party. The resolutions also urge President Biden to 

18 use the results of the survey to establish a National 

19 Park unit including a Visitors Center and Museum 

20 through the Antiquities Act. These are the first 3 

21 cities in the United States to adopt such resolutions. 

22 (12) On February 17, 2021, Ninth Street at 

23 the intersection of Mandela Parkway in Oakland, 

24 California, was renamed after the Black Panther 

25 Party co-founder: Dr. Huey P. Newton Way. 


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1 (13) On March 4, 2021, Congresswoman Bar2 bara Lee requested the National Park Service 

3 launch a reconnaissance survey in regard to the 

4 Black Panther Party, especially with regard to the 

5 sites in and around Oakland, California, that would 

6 be suitable for National Historical Park designation. 

7 (14) On January 10, 2022, the bust of Dr. 

8 Huey P. Newton was unveiled at Dr. Huey P. New9 ton Way and Mandela Parkway, near the spot where 

10 Newton was murdered in 1989. 

11 (15) On July 19, 2022, Oakland City Council 

12 unanimously approved the Dr. Huey P. Newton 

13 Foundation to enter into a lease agreement with the 

14 City Administrator to establish the Black Panther 

15 Party Museum. 

16 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 

17 The purposes of the National Historical Park are— 

18 (1) to preserve and protect for the benefit of 

19 present and future generations the nationally signifi20 cant historic resources associated with the Black 

21 Panther Party; 

22 (2) to improve public understanding of the leg23 acy of the Black Panther Party through interpreta24 tion of the historic resources associated with the 

25 Black Panther Party; and 


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1 (3) to enhance public access to preserve and 

2 protect the historically significant resources associ3 ated with the Black Panther Party. 

4 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK.—The term 

7 ‘‘National Historical Park’’ means the Black Pan8 ther Party National Historical Park established by 

9 section 5(a)(1). 

10 (2) MAP.—The term ‘‘Map’’ means the map en11 titled llll, numbered ll, and dated 

12 llll. 

13 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

14 the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di15 rector of the National Park Service. 

16 SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY 

17 NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK. 

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

20 there is established the Black Panther Party Na21 tional Historical Park in the State of California, as 

22 a unit of the National Park System, to preserve and 

23 educate the history and impact of the Black Panther 

24 Party and the nationally significant role it played in 

25 the history of the United States. 


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1 (2) CONDITIONS.—The National Historical 

2 Park shall not be established until the date on which 

3 the Secretary acquires sufficient land within the 

4 boundaries of the National Historical Park to con5 stitute a manageable unit. 

6 (b) BOUNDARIES.—The boundaries of the National 

7 Historical Park shall be the boundaries generally depicted 

8 on the Map. 

9 (c) AVAILABILITY OF MAP.—The Map shall be on file 

10 and available for public inspection in the appropriate of11 fices of the National Park Service. 

12 (d) OTHER RESOURCES.—The Secretary may include 

13 in the National Historical Park boundary any resources 

14 that are the subject of an agreement under subsection (g). 

15 (e) BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT.—On the acquisition of 

16 additional land or interests in land or on entering an 

17 agreement under subsection (g), the boundary of the Na18 tional Historical Park shall be adjusted to reflect the ac19 quisition or agreement by publishing a National Historical 

20 Park boundary map in the Federal Register. The map 

21 shall be available for public inspection in the appropriate 

22 offices of the National Park Service. 

23 (f) LAND ACQUISITION.—The Secretary may acquire 

24 any land or interest in land located within the boundary 

25 of the National Historical Park, by— 


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1 (1) donation; 

2 (2) purchase with donated or appropriated 

3 funds; or 

4 (3) exchange. 

5 (g) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter 

7 into a cooperative agreement with the city of Oak8 land, the State of California, political subdivisions of 

9 the State of California, institutions of higher edu10 cation, nonprofit organizations (such as the Huey P. 

11 Newton Foundation), and individuals for the pur12 poses of carrying out this Act. 

13 (2) COST-SHARING REQUIREMENT.— 

14 (A) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share 

15 of the total cost of any activity carried out 

16 under a cooperative agreement entered into 

17 under paragraph (1) shall be not more than 50 

18 percent. 

19 (B) FORM OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The 

20 non-Federal share may be in the form of in21 kind contributions or goods or services fairly 

22 valued. 

23 (h) RELATED SITES.—The Secretary may provide 

24 technical assistance, visitor services, interpretive tours, 

25 and educational programs to sites and resources associVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:27 Oct 04, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5719.IH H5719

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1 ated with the purposes for which the National Historical 

2 Park is established. 

3 (i) ADMINISTRATION.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall admin5 ister the National Historical Park in accordance 

6 with— 

7 (A) this Act; and 

8 (B) the laws generally applicable to units 

9 of the National Park System. 

10 (2) MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

11 (A) DEADLINE FOR COMPLETION.—Not 

12 later than 3 years after the date on which funds 

13 are made available to carry out this subsection, 

14 the Secretary shall prepare a general manage15 ment plan for the National Historical Park— 

16 (i) in consultation with the States and 

17 other interested parties; and 

18 (ii) in accordance with section 100502 

19 of title 54, United States Code. 

20 (B) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—On com21 pletion of the general management plan under 

22 subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall submit 

23 that general management plan to the Com24 mittee on Natural Resources of the House of 


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1 Representatives and the Committee on Energy 

2 and Natural Resources of the Senate. 

Æ 


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