2021 Proposed American River National Heritage Area (1840-1875)

National Buffalo Soldiers Day, commemorates July 28, 1866 and the formation of the first regular Army regiments. Officially known as An Act to increase and fix the Military Peace Establishment of the United States after the Civil War.

The Act was approved by the 1st session of the 39th Congress on July 28th, 1866 and is credited with the formation of the Buffalo Soldiers, these regiments were all-black regiments with white officer, in the regular U.S. Army.

The National Defense Authorization Act of 2015, Public Law 113-291, authorized the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to examine:

“The role of the Buffalo Soldiers in the early years of the national park system, including an evaluation of appropriate ways to enhance historical research, education, interpretation, and public awareness of the Buffalo Soldiers in the national parks, including ways to link the story to the development of national parks and African American military service following the Civil War.”

To meet this purpose, the goals of this study are to

• evaluate ways to increase public awareness and understanding of Buffalo Soldiers in the early history of the National Park Service; and

• evaluate ways to enhance historical research, education, interpretation, and public awareness related to the Buffalo Soldiers.

Our California Buffalo Soldiers Memorial Project is poised to utilize existing strong Bipartisan Leadership to showcase and highlight our growing nationwide interagency collaboration headquartered along the Federal Lands of the American River Parkway, at our proposed Negro Bar State Historic Park, highlighting Rancho Rios De Los Americanos and the Gold Mining District of Negro Hill / Negro Bar during the California Gold Rush Era.

January 20, 2021 President Biden issued Executive Order #13985 - Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Throughout the Federal Government

It is therefore the policy of my Administration that the Federal Government should pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.

Affirmatively advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity is the responsibility of the whole of our Government. Because advancing equity requires a systematic approach to embedding fairness in decision-making processes, executive departments and agencies (agencies) must recognize and work to redress inequities in their policies and programs that serve as barriers to equal opportunity.

By advancing equity across the Federal Government, we can create opportunities for the improvement of communities that have been historically underserved, which benefits everyone. For example, an analysis shows that closing racial gaps in wages, housing credit, lending opportunities, and access to higher education would amount to an additional $5 trillion in gross domestic product in the American economy over the next 5 years.

The Federal Government’s goal in advancing equity is to provide everyone with the opportunity to reach their full potential. Consistent with these aims, each agency must assess whether, and to what extent, its programs and policies perpetuate systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits for people of color and other underserved groups.

The Department of Interior, established in 1849, will utilize such assessments to better equip agencies to develop policies and programs that deliver resources and benefits equitably to all.