Yeah, Alex Jones (Infowars) was there, claiming it was being handed to the UN.

Nothing came of it, Mr Jones moved on to his next grift, and people got on with their lives realising all that had happend was that it was now on a list of places people think should be protected.

Thanks for flagging this up winterkjm, it is interesting reading.

I find the framing of some of the propossals fascinating, especially the Cultural Diversity Latino sites (Workers rights, tied to a specific person/ industry, and buildings from before New Mexico's incorporation into the USA) the framing of them as non mainstream (for want of a better word) is a fascinating insight.

I'm happy to see the Mormon historical sites on there as well, though I fear the churches current practices of removing designs with historical value from temple sites and homogenising them, suggests they won't be particularly interested in persuing a spot on the tentative list.
Having said that I am a little confused by the recommendation on page 18 Sites could include the Latter Day Saints Church or Mormon landscape of the San Pino valley south of Salt Lake City. I know that area pretty well and have never heard of the San Pino valley, perhaps they could mean Sanpete county?

It was an early Mormon place of expansion, post settling in Salt Lake City, and Manti has an important temple, though I'm not sure I would give it top billing as a Mormon planned landscape, but I would be interested to know more about that recommendation.

The US is seeking to rejoin UNESCO!

https://www.jpost.com/international/article-695995

Perspective from right-wing Conservatives seems to indicate re-joining UNESCO is a likelihood under Biden.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/biden-admin-wants-back-in-with-unesco

US Nomination Aims
2023 - Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks *submitted dossier
2024 - Moravian Church Settlements (transnational sites added to tentative list in January)
2025 - Civil Rights Movement Sites (60th anniversary of the voting rights act)

Could the Moravian Church Settlements miss the deadline for 2024? Yes (maybe even likely). Are the Civil Rights Movement Sites a lock for 2025? No. That being said, we are seeing more activity from the US World Heritage Program than we've seen since the 1980's and early 1990's. The fact that the US is seeking to restore full membership and dues is also encouraging. IF membership is restored, could we see a World Heritage Session being held again in the US? The first since Santa Fe in 1992.

Top U.S. Cities to Host WHC?
- Atlanta (Georgia)
- Chicago (Illinois)
- Los Angeles (California)
- Montgomery (Alabama)
- New York City (New York)
- Phoenix (Arizona)

I am probably getting way, way ahead of myself. Yet, I cannot help but be hopeful. No one really knows what comes after the 3 nominations listed above. Does New York finally get more WHS (Brooklyn Bridge or Central Park)? What about Chicago's early skyscrapers? Will the US begin developing natural nominations again? California's coast or desert national parks in Arizona, New Mexico, and/or Texas? Six straight cultural nominations, this trend may continue, but there remains plenty of natural sites worthy of inscription in the United States.

US ICOMOS "National Park Service announces nomination of ancient Ohio earthworks to become America's next UNESCO World Heritage Site"

Confirmation of 2023 was already established, but official announcements are being made more widely to the public now.

https://usicomos.org/national-park-service-announces-nomination-of-ancient-ohio-earthworks-to-become-americas-next-unesco-world-heritage-site/?fbclid=IwAR1BZC6shUJBdDkIOKljk19DoOz1o27rMKMsZ8ftrRq5zVG2hxjFLY4tW8A

The F.W. Woolworth Building (North Carolina), part of the Civil Rights Movement Sites nomination.

"Museum leaders say it is a crucial piece for consideration to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site."

https://greensboro.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/greensboro-council-votes-to-give-2-million-for-civil-rights-museum-expansion/article_cdca3e8e-aaf2-11ec-98c9-bf7ce5cc3dc2.html

Georgia State University (GSU) World Heritage Initiative

A short video (made a couple years ago) sharing the argument for OUV and global importance of the serial nomination of Civil Rights Movement Sites in the United States. Linking the freedom movements contextually with India, the American South, South Africa, and the Berlin Wall. ICOMOS will need to be persuaded (perhaps difficult considering the series of components and their overall meaning) and one can imagine a whole host of potential discussions with the world heritage committee if the evaluation is Deferral/Referral and the U.S. persists with the nomination toward inscription.

Well, when the U.S. presented its intention to put into the TL list and nominate more cultural sites, it had 13 natural and 7 cultural sites. Now it has 13 natural, 1 mixed and 10 cultural sites, so the imbalance it was counterbalancing has been for the most part succesfully addressed. So I think your appreciation is right: probably natural nominations will be reappearing soon. As I said in the "missing WHS" discussions, I consider there is still high potential for many more US natural and cultural WHS. Besides some sites that you refer to (California currents, I assume White Sands, Big Bend and Petrified Forest, plus other sites in the TL), I also think about Utah's Zion/Canyonlands/Bryce Canyon/Capitol Reef area and definitely something additional in Alaska, which aren't on the TL, maybe some others.

would be interesting to have a session in the deep south. It the Civil Rights Sites nomination was discussed there, it would be a quite strategic publicity blow.

As discussed before, there are both points pro and against, about things on the global relevance of the American Civil Rights Movement (something I think it has), the selection of sites (would sites in which terrible things happened considered appropiate or only the ones that are "inspiring"?), to inscribe just another site under criteria VI, the discussion on what has really been achieved versus the structural problems that haven't been totally addressed and that if such a nomination would be an expression of wishful thinking (discussion which is entirely on the U.S. government and citizens to have it, even when one might have an opinion on it), etc. But, in the end, ICOMOS just might make a different assessment that what we might think. See, for example the Valongo wharf inscription.

US/ICOMOS Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention

This celebration (primarily for US ICOMOS members and donors) was live a week or so ago and now just recently has been posted on youtube.

The celebration in its entirety will probably not be a "must-see" for everyone, but if you wish to get a pleasant overview of 8 nominations on the United States Tentative List, continue below as I will provide some specific details.

Begin - Video Presentations of Nominations (select link to start at correct time)
18:39 - Civil Rights Movement Sites
25:12 - Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks + Serpent Mound
30:51 - Petrified Forest National Park
34:49 - White Sands National Park
37:35 - Ellis Island
43:43 - Central Park
50:25 - Early Chicago Skyscrapers
End - 55:14

It is interesting to note that each video is mostly a product of state or local organizations. So don't expect universally stunning video profiles of each site, but they do provide a solid overview of each nomination.

Thanks for sharing the links to these videos, winterkjm! I was sorry I had to miss the online celebration on 9 April, but it is good to see the presentations for these eight TWHS. I only wish there was a presentation on the California Current Conservation Complex! While watching the Civil Rights Movement Sites video, I couldn't help noticing how much more expansive the video was than just the three sites currently listed in Alabama; I'll be curious to see if more sites get added.

It's more or less official at this point, the nomination is now far larger than the 3 churches. We might expect a tentative nomination update, though I am not sure when that happens.

As shown in the video as well, the serial components are thus:

- 16th Street Baptist Church Birmingham, Alabama
- Bethel Baptist Church Birmingham, Alabama
- Central High School Little Rock, Arkansas
- Dexter Avenue Baptist Church Montgomery, Alabama
- Ebenezer Baptist Church Atlanta, Georgia
- Edmund Pettus Bridge Selma, Alabama
- F. W. Woolworth Store Greensboro, North Carolina
- Greyhound Bus Terminal and Bus Burning Site Anniston, Alabama
- Lincoln Memorial Washington, D.C.
- Lorraine Motel Memphis, Tennessee
- Medgar and Myrlie Evers House Jackson, Mississippi
- Monroe Elementary School Topeka, Kansas
- Moton High School Farmville, Virginia

With the inclusion of this one, about everyone who has visited Washington D.C. will have "seen" it.

Ah - but it should only "count" if you were there (As I was) on Aug 28 1963 for the "March on Washington" and the Martin Luther King speech live from the Memorial! If it gets on to the T List I will include a review and photo of that "visit"

I don't mind an easy tick. Especially since rural Alabama and Fly Over Country do not feature high on my to visit list ;) And if the site of key protests are combined into a serial site, then the Lincoln Memorial cannot be excluded.

I would still argue for "The Washington Mall" as a WHS on it's own. The Lincoln Memorial has been the site of many peaceful protests and overall American Democracy has been first and leading. Unlike their still ongoing struggles against racism.

Thank you, I found it particularly interesting. My favorite presentation, definitely was
.

Oh, I would very much look forward to reading that review.


Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta is also a fairly simple one to pick up as Atlanta airport is quite the hub for flight connections (Delta are based there) and it is simple to visit on a layover.