The author, Seattle City Council member Lorena González, says, Watching the National Park Service join hands with those marching at this year’s Pride parade represented a critical moment, symbolizing the opportunity we have to continue telling America’s story through our National Parks.
The author, Seattle City Council member Lorena González, says, "Watching the National Park Service join hands with those marching at this year’s Pride parade represented a critical moment, symbolizing the opportunity we have to continue telling America’s story through our National Parks." Glynnis Jones/shutterstock

Tomorrow, August 25, marks the 100th birthday of our National Park System, a major milestone for one of America’s most popular and respected institutions. In a nation so often appearing to be divided, the national parks provide common ground and shared experiences.

In my first year as a citywide council member I am especially pleased to have participated in efforts to create America’s newest national park unit, the Stonewall National Monument in New York. In fact, Seattle was the first city on record to issue a joint mayor-city council resolution in support of this monument commemorating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights.

National park history runs deep here in Seattle. Residents of Seattle have championed some of the first national parks and monuments—Mount Rainer and Olympic—even before the National Park System as we know it existed. We now enjoy nearly a dozen national park units today throughout Washington state, each one an important piece of our heritage, destination for visitors, and significant economic benefit for our communities.

Our National Park System protects some of our country’s most beautiful and popular natural places, but also important historic sites. Some commemorate stories we can be proud of, such as averting international conflict at San Juan Island National Historic Park. On the other hand, some sites tell our darker stories from which there are lessons to be learned: The Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial reminds us of federal policies that imprisoned thousands of American citizens and residents without justification or cause.

It’s crucial that the National Park System continues to represent America as we continue making and telling our national story; providing and preserving a park system by which future generations will be inspired.

That’s why the latest addition to our National Park System was so important to our city, despite it being 3,000 miles away. The Stonewall National Monument speaks to our shared American experience of struggling for justice and recognition for all people. Its name alone evokes personal and shared history, much like Independence Hall, Selma, Seneca Falls, Little Rock High School, and Minidoka.

Now, thanks to President Obama, Stonewall joins the ranks of these places, preserving in perpetuity, as part of our National Park System, a place that adds richness to the story for the fight for equal rights in a country as diverse as America.

As a member of the Seattle City Council, I am proud to have participated in movement leading to the creation of the Stonewall National Monument. In May, the Seattle Council unanimously passed a resolution expressing the city’s fervent support for the designation of a National Park for Stonewall, and we quickly had Mayor Ed Murray’s strong support.

On June 24, 2016, after more than two years of growing national and Congressional support, President Obama designated the area surrounding Stonewall Inn and Christopher Park in New York City’s Greenwich Village as our 412th national park site.

Through the Stonewall National Monument, national park rangers and community partners will have opportunities to connect visitors to the modern LGBTQ rights struggle, the individuals who catalyzed the movement, and the larger LGBTQ experience in our country. Watching the National Park Service join hands with those marching at this year’s Pride parade represented a critical moment, symbolizing the opportunity we have to continue telling America’s story through our National Parks.

It’s an historic year for our National Park System. On behalf of the Seattle City Council, I am proud to be a part of making history and commend President Obama for honoring Stonewall’s powerful civil rights story. I encourage all to visit Stonewall National Monument and other national park sites in order to connect with nature, history, and culture—stories that are now and forever protected and preserved.

Lorena González is a member of the Seattle City Council.