--- description: Celebrating what's great about the nation doesn't mean we should overlook problems we can fix. Here are some points worth addressing. title: Why Are the Parks So White? image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Why Are the Parks So White? by [Josh Sanburn](/author/josh-sanburn/) ## Josh Sanburn Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 30, 2016 12:32 PM CUT by [Josh Sanburn](/author/josh-sanburn/) ## Josh Sanburn Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 30, 2016 12:32 PM CUT At one entrance to Yellowstone, a 50-ft. stone arch declares, “For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People.” Not everyone is accepting the invitation. While the national parks are for everyone, surveys say minorities, who account for about 40% of the population, make up just 20% of visitors. Among the reasons cited: lack of familiarity, language barriers and the homogeneity of the workforce. In response, the Park Service is reaching out, in part with free access for fourth-graders–a step toward making the parks not just open but enjoyed by all. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4389088/why-are-the-parks-so-white/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4389088/why-are-the-parks-so-white/"},"headline":"Why Are the Parks So White?","datePublished":"2016-06-30T12:32:39.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T22:57:24.312Z","description":"Celebrating what's great about the nation doesn't mean we should overlook problems we can fix. Here are some points worth addressing.","url":"https://time.com/4389088/why-are-the-parks-so-white/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Josh Sanburn","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/josh-sanburn/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4389088/why-are-the-parks-so-white/","name":"Why Are the Parks So White?"}}]}] ```