Brown Quarterly - Vol. 3, No. 4 (Spring 2000)

Diversity Web Page

By Harry Butowsky

The National Park Service Diversity Web Page: A Resource for Teachers, Students and the General Public
http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/diversity

The National Park Service Diversity Web page represents a new approach by the National Park Service to provide diversity educational resources and information to be used by teachers, students and the general public. The page contains a wealth information concerning the latest scholarship in the field of diversity for students and educators to access with a minimum of time and effort.

First, information is organized in a logical fashion along topical lines including National Park Service parks, employees, visitors, publications, educational resources and links to other diversity web sites. Specific diversity information is easy to find and read. Second, the page provides easy access for the general public who can browse its many features in whatever order they desire.

The National Park System celebrates America’s cultural diversity by commemorating American Indians, Pacific Islanders, Alaska Natives, African Americans, Spanish pioneers and European and Asian immigrants who were integral to the development of our country. The National Park System was established to preserve and interpret the legacy of diverse individuals as well as historical, natural and cultural places and events that have shaped the lives of our generation and will impact future generations.

In 1998 the National Park Service established a Diversity Advisory Committee. In addition, a National Park Service Diversity Web page was created. The purpose of this web page was to assist the committee in its efforts to communicate National Park Service recommendations and strategies to further Diversity. As the work of the Diversity Committee continues, the Diversity Web page will be updated so that information on the programs, publications and web features of the National Park Service can be accessed by any interested person.

The Diversity Web page can be found at http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/diversity and begins with a statement by Robert Stanton, Director of the National Park Service. Features listed on the Diversity Web page pertain to national parks, work force, visitors, publications and other web features. The Diversity Web page will always be a work in progress.

As we move into the next century the National Park Service will continue to promote Diversity in all respects. As stated by the Director of the National Park Service, our goal is “to preserve and maintain the nation’s treasures entrusted in our care, to the highest levels of quality possible and to accomplish this through a highly skilled, dedicated work force that exemplifies the rich diversity of our national parks and our nation.” Suggestions for new material or comments on how to improve the National Park Service Diversity Web page should be sent to Harry_Butowsky@nps.gov.

Specific features of interest to students include the highly popular Web sites:

The feature articles in this issue were compliled using information from the Diversity Website.