Amid racial reckoning, National Park Service recognizes new Underground Railroad sites

The 16 new listings are part of a National Park Service program to preserve sites that were part of the Underground Railroad.

As the nation reexamines its long and troubled relationship with race, the National Park Service has opened 16 new locations on the National Underground Railroad Network to preserve the history and stories of Black Americans who escaped from slavery, but often are left out of history books. "Our country is facing a moment of reckoning, that requires us to learn from history, to heal and grow," Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said at Friday's unveiling. "Today's announcement reminds us of the dark pages in our history books, but also highlights the incredible strength and resilience of black communities." The 16 new listings, across nine states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, are part of the National Park Service's greater program to preserve sites that were part of the Underground Railroad, which helped free American slaves. They're being added to 650 others in the Network to Freedom, which spans 39 states and Washington, D.C.