MLK Jr. Commission - National Parks Statement 2026.pdf

February 25, 2026

Dear Mr. President,

We, the NC Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, express our deep concern and disappointment that President Trump has chosen to eliminate the free admission to our National Parks on the Martin Luther King Jr. national federal holiday.

We, in North Carolina, feel the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Holiday, celebrates and perpetuates justice and equity. We feel that since this is a national federal holiday and the precedent set has been to admit people at no cost to our national parks, then President Trump has no legal authority to deny this to the public.

We in North Carolina have a large system of national parks, so this elimination is particularly personal to the citizens of our state.

We ask President Trump to please reconsider this devastating elimination of our important Martin Luther King Jr. holiday free admission to the national parks. It is an insult to many of the citizens of North Carolina as well the United States if this move goes forward. We do not conceive of any reason to eliminate this free holiday admission and to replace it with the President's birthday, which is not a national federal holiday and further divides our country.

We await your response.

Sincerely,

The North Carolina MLK Jr. Commission

Marcus R. Bass
Dr. Tiffany Tuma
Catherine Williamson-Hardy
Dr. Warren L. Herndon
Phyllis Mack Horton
Walter Ferguson Jr.
Patricia Levitin
Roosevelt Ethridge
Cheryl Hart
Laureen G. Jones