Federal, state and local officials on Monday dedicated New York City's Stonewall Inn as the first national monument honoring the LGBT rights movement.
President Barack Obama on Friday announced that he was "designating the Stonewall National Monument as the newest addition to America's national park system."
The monument includes Christopher Park, the Stonewall Inn and the surrounding area that was part of the 1969 Stonewall uprising.
Historians often credit the June 28, 1969 police raid of the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village as a major flashpoint for the gay rights movement. While such raids at the time were common at gay bars, patrons on this night, many of whom were drag queens, resisted arrest.
"Today we welcome Stonewall and Christopher Park into the family of the Grand Canyon, of Yosemite, of the Statue of Liberty, of America's most important places," John Jarvis, director of the National Park Service, said while standing in front of the Stonewall Inn.
Valerie Jarrett, special adviser to the president, also spoke at the dedication ceremony.
"The Stonewall uprising awakened a national consciousness to the humanity of LGBT equality. It became a profound inflection point in our nation's history," she said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the recent mass shooting at an Orlando gay nightclub "reminded us what it means to keep fighting."
"If an Orlando can happen in this country, we are far from done," he said.
President Barack Obama on Friday announced that he was "designating the Stonewall National Monument as the newest addition to America's national park system."
The monument includes Christopher Park, the Stonewall Inn and the surrounding area that was part of the 1969 Stonewall uprising.
Historians often credit the June 28, 1969 police raid of the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village as a major flashpoint for the gay rights movement. While such raids at the time were common at gay bars, patrons on this night, many of whom were drag queens, resisted arrest.
"Today we welcome Stonewall and Christopher Park into the family of the Grand Canyon, of Yosemite, of the Statue of Liberty, of America's most important places," John Jarvis, director of the National Park Service, said while standing in front of the Stonewall Inn.
Valerie Jarrett, special adviser to the president, also spoke at the dedication ceremony.
"The Stonewall uprising awakened a national consciousness to the humanity of LGBT equality. It became a profound inflection point in our nation's history," she said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the recent mass shooting at an Orlando gay nightclub "reminded us what it means to keep fighting."
"If an Orlando can happen in this country, we are far from done," he said.
Article provided in partnership with On Top Magazine
