Alabama Black Belt National Heritage Area Act Passes After Delay of Over a Decade

Marchers hold up a "March On" sign as they make their way towards the Edmund Pettus Bridge the Edmund Pettus Bridge in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., in Selma, Ala., on Jan. 18, 2015. Brynn Anderson/AP Photo

In a bi-partisan showing, a bill designating 19 counties of Alabama’s Black Belt will become a National Heritage Area once signed by President Joe Biden—after the legislation was first introduced in 2009 by Alabama’s Republican Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions and in the House by Democrat Rep. Arthur Davis.

It was introduced in the House many times after the 111th Congress and now successfully by Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) and again in the Senate by Shelby and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R.-Ala.)

“Designating Alabama’s Black Belt region as a National Heritage Area will not only help generate tourism and economic activity in the area, but it will also give the public a greater understanding of the natural, historical, and cultural assets our state has to offer,” said Shelby in a statement. “This legislation has the potential to impact several future generations and is an important step toward promoting and preserving the diverse resources that exist throughout the Black Belt’s 19 counties.”

The final version of the bill was included as part of the National Heritage Act passed by the U.S. House on Dec. 22 with a vote of 326 to 95, while it passed in the U.S. Senate unanimously on Dec. 20. Only two members of Alabama’s delegation voted against the legislation, Reps. Barry Moore (R-Ala.) and Mo Brooks (R-Ala.).

National Heritage Areas

The Alabama Black Belt National Heritage Area Act designates a sprawling area of the state as being rich in history that is worthy of preservation for generations to come. The designation will also allow for federal funding of up to $1 million a year, according to a press release by Sewell, and aid in promoting the area as a historical tourism hotbed.

“As the birthplace of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights movements, the Black Belt is where some of the most consequential chapters of American history played out,” said Sewell. “As a proud daughter of the Black Belt, I’m thrilled that this region will be getting the national recognition it deserves, and I remain endlessly grateful to my colleagues for their support in this worthwhile endeavor!”

Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) said on the House floor before the vote that National Heritage Areas touch 34 states and nearly 600 counties, with a nearly $13 billion annual economic impact and employ almost 150,000 people nationwide.

“Designating Alabama’s Black Belt region as a National Heritage Area will not only help generate tourism and economic activity in the area, but it will also give the public a greater understanding of the natural, historical, and cultural assets our state has to offer,” said Shelby. “This legislation has the potential to impact several future generations and is an important step toward promoting and preserving the diverse resources that exist throughout the Black Belt’s 19 counties.”

In a 2013 hearing of the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Stephanie Toothman with the National Park Service (NPS) gave background on the proposal, while also recommending a deferment on passage until a feasibility study was reviewed and later approved.

“Geographically, Alabama’s Black Belt is part of a larger crescent-shaped area known as the Southern Black Belt, which extends from Virginia to Texas,” she said. “The term refers to the fertile black soil of the region. This soil drew pioneers to settle the lower-central portion of Alabama in the 1820s and 1830s where they established and operated a network of cotton plantations using the labor of enslaved African Americans. During the Antebellum era, the Alabama Black Belt became one of the wealthiest and most politically powerful regions in the United States.”

During the Civil War Era, Montgomery County in the Alabama Black Belt became the first capital of the confederacy, according to the official website of the Alabama Black Belt Heritage Area.

In the 20th Century, the area was home to many important civil and voting rights movements such as the Montgomery bus boycotts and the march from Montgomery to Selma, Toothman told the committee. She added the Alabama Black Belt Was later the training home of the famed World War II Tuskegee Airmen.

A local coordinating committee will be required to prepare and implement a management plan of the area alongside the University of West Alabama and NPS to be approved by the Secretary of the Interior.

“Designating Alabama’s Black Belt as a National Heritage Area is a tremendous achievement and marks the culmination of more than a decade of work and support by countless volunteers and organizations not only across the Black Belt but from throughout the State of Alabama and across the nation,” said Tina Naremore Jones with the University of West Alabama. “Our grassroots organizations have been steadfast supporters of this effort, and we are thankful for Congresswoman Sewell and Senator Shelby’s leadership in moving this legislation forward.”

Established by Congress, National Heritage Areas assist in efforts to protect and promote communities that are regarded as distinctive because of their culture, history, resources, and environment, Sewell’s press release explained.

“For the first time, many historic areas in the Black Belt will be designated as a National Heritage Area, freeing up additional federal resources for historic preservation, tourism, and economic development,” Sewell added. “Passage of this bill is the culmination of years of tireless advocacy and negotiation on behalf of the residents of the Black Belt!”

The Epoch Times reached out to several local mayors in the Alabama Black Belt region but did not hear back before publication.