LDF Calls on Congress to Preserve Operations, Access, and Oversight of the National Archives and Records Administration

Read a PDF of our statement here.

Today, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) sent a letter to Congress urging Members to exercise their oversight and appropriations authority to ensure that the National Archives and Records Administration continue to carry out the agency's vital mission: To "preserve, protect, and share" the country's historical records. The letter comes as NARA announced plans to close its Chicago and Bay Area Regional Archives Facilities and Federal Records Centers.

The National Archives serves as the nation's record keeper and is responsible for preserving and providing access to the records that document the history and functioning of the federal government. The agency also plays a crucial role in preserving and making accessible records documenting Black history and the history of other people of color. The National Archives' records, which date back to 1775, include documents related to America's history of enslavement, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Chinese Exclusion Act case files, civil rights cold case records, and the official records of presidents and their staff.

"These actions will not only jeopardize the public's access to archival material and information documenting our nation's history, but also risk the permanent destruction of an invaluable collection of records that ultimately belong to the public," the letter reads in part. "Given the crucial role that the National Archives plays in preserving our history and cultivating our democracy, the prospect of losing public access to these materials is deeply concerning."

LDF's letter calls on Congress to require the National Archives to provide the public with additional information regarding the closures and relocation of records and its plans to ensure undisrupted public access to its Chicago and Bay Area Regional Archives Facilities. The letter also asks that Congress hold a hearing about the National Archives during the upcoming session.

LDF previously released a statement decrying the agency's closures.

Read the full letter.

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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation's first civil rights legal organization. LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957, though it was founded under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall while he was at the NAACP. LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI) is a division of LDF that undertakes innovative research and houses LDF's archive. In all media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF (do not include NAACP) and refer to the Institute as LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute or TMI.