JACKSON, Miss. ( WJTV ) – Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced that she has authorized the National Park Service (NPS) to prepare a potential nomination for 11 U.S. Civil Rights Movement sites in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Virginia and Washington, DC to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The site in Mississippi is the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home, which is located in Jackson.

There are currently 1,199 World Heritage Sites in 168 countries, including 25 in the United States . The National Park Service manages all or part of 19 of the 25 U.S. sites.

“The U.S. sites that mark the civil rights movement are integral in helping us tell a full and complete story of American history,” said Haaland. “We are honored to be entrusted with the responsibility of preserving these stories as part of our enduring effort to pursue a more perfect union. A nomination of these sites to the World Heritage List would further recognize the pain, redemption and healing associated with these historical sites and honor the civil rights heroes who bravely sat, marched and fought to secure equality for all Americans.”

The following are the 11 U.S. Civil Rights Movement Sites included in the proposed nomination. Nine are managed by the National Park Service:

The Department will collaborate with partners and consult with the Federal Interagency Panel for World Heritage on the completed document before making a final decision on whether to submit the nomination for the Civil Rights Movement Sites to the World Heritage Committee.

If submitted, the final decision on inclusion on the list will be made by the World Heritage Committee, composed of representatives from 21 nations elected from the members of the World Heritage Convention, and advised by the International Council on Monuments and Sites.

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