Contact: Chyna Fields, cfields@naacpnet.org 

WASHINGTON —  The NAACP condemns the Trump Administration’s decision to strip Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from the National Park Service’s annual free-entry days, replacing them with Flag Day, which also coincides with President Trump’s birthday.

Derrick Johnson, NAACP President & CEO, shared the following response:

“We’re still waiting on Trump to bring the cost of groceries and housing down, to make life affordable. Wasn’t that the plan for day one?

“Trump is doing what he usually does — he seeks to distract and divide us by undermining progress attributed to the Black community. By doing this, he’s hoping we’ll forget about his failures on the economy. But we’re not buying it.

“Removing MLK Day and Juneteenth from the national parks calendar is more than petty politics — it’s an attack on the truth of this nation’s history. It’s an attempt to erase the legacy of Dr. King, minimize the story of emancipation, and sideline the communities that have fought for generations to make America live up to its promise. We will not stand by while this Administration tries to turn public spaces into instruments of division.”

This action follows repeated efforts by the Trump Administration to suppress the teaching of Black history in schools and reverse long-standing civil rights protections. By eliminating the only free park days tied to Black history, the Administration is attempting to diminish the visibility of holidays honoring Black resilience – key moments of our nation’s shared history – and turning public spaces into political tools.

The Association will continue to call out attempts to weaponize federal agencies against the Black community and will challenge any efforts by the Trump Administration that undermine racial equity, attack diversity, or distort the truth of Black history in America.