A coalition of civil rights groups is pushing the National Park Service to consider redesigning their cars and uniforms because they look like those used by immigration enforcement officers, which the group says will limit the diversity of people who visit those parks.
“Park Service law-enforcement vehicles look like those used by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and uniforms have law enforcement connotations, both of which present a significant impediment to engaging all Americans,” the coalition said.
The coalition, which is made up of civil rights and conservation groups such as the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council and the Hispanic Access Foundation, are petitioning President Obama to take executive action to help diversify park attendance and employment as the National Park Service celebrates its 100th anniversary.
Park employees are mostly white, as are park visitors, which could eventually lead to a big decline in attendance as the U.S. population becomes less white and more diverse.
The group wants the Obama administration to order the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture to “to adopt guiding priorities for a more inclusive approach to conservation of our public lands, including a full reflection of the faces of our country, a respect for different cultures, histories and approaches, and a responsibility to actively engage all people.”
The Hispanic Access Foundation talked about the need to change the cars and uniforms last week in a press conference that was recorded by CNS News. Hispanic Access Foundation president Maite Arce said the uniform issue is particularly relevant at parks located in border states.
“It’s such a shame that something as simple as the uniform and its similarity to the border patrols uniform, in the coloring, could be very threatening to certain segments of the Latino population,” Arce said. “So a discussion about that is going to be really tough.”
She said what the group is calling for is “drastic, very scary change.”
The National Park Service has been struggling for years to battle declining attendance and a poor record of attracting minority visitors.
A 2008-2009 survey found that Hispanics and African-Americans made up 9 percent and 7 percent of visitors, respectively, to national parks. Asians and Native Americans made up only 3 percent and 1 percent of all visitors.
The coalition has made dozens of recommendations aimed at boosting diversity in the parks.
For example, it calls for free recreational passes for all members of federally recognized tribes, and recommends a review of the park system’s permitting process to allow community groups easier access to public lands.
Read the group’s recommendations here:
