Staff Spotlight: Keena Graham

Keena Graham posing in front of the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument

NPS Photo

Meet Keena Graham, who is the Superintendent for the Medgar and Myrlie Evers National Monument in Jackson, Mississippi! It is the 423rd national park unit and the first nationally protected Civil Rights site in the state of Mississippi.

What is it like to be the Superintendent of a newly established park?

It's thrilling, exciting, maddening, frustrating, and satisfying all at once. I tend to gravitate towards complicated projects. This is certainly complicated, but it's also my wheelhouse.

What does it mean to you to be part of the Black community and wear the Green and Gray uniform?

It's surreal sometimes. I think about the 13 year-old me who didn't know anything about the National Park Service. All I knew is that I wanted to do what those people in the uniforms were doing. Now I'm a superintendent living out the dreams that I had as young teenager.

Keena Graham enjoying some oysters

NPS Photo

How did you find yourself at NPS?

I learned about the National Park Service in a very round-about way. I went to Washington, D.C. on school fieldtrip when I was 13. I already loved history and I loved being outside. So, when we got to the National Mall, I saw people outside talking to people about history. Fast forward to when I graduated from the University of Alabama, I decided to move to the place where I saw people outside talking about history. Arlington National Cemetery was the first place that I visited when I moved to Washington, D.C. I saw this big house in the middle of the cemetery. I walked up to the front door and I saw those people once again doing what I wanted to do. I immediately asked if I could volunteer there, which turned out to be Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial. And that's how I got my start with the agency.

Keena Graham teaching kids about the atlatl

NPS Photo

What advice do you have for youth thinking about working for NPS who may be hesitant if they are part of an underrepresented group?

To be perfectly honest, I would say that starting out in the Washington, DC area did wonders for me. The area has many different parks and many different types of parks. I was able to have the big urban park experience, the Civil War experience, and even the big nature park experience on details and training at parks nearby. There are more areas like that throughout the country where you can get your feet wet and test out a variety of park experiences while still being close to community: Atlanta, Chattanooga-Nashville, South Florida, New York, Philadelphia, etc. Once I did that, I went on my park adventures out West and the Pacific Northwest.

Keena Graham hiking with a friend

NPS Photo

What do you find most challenging about your job?

The biggest challenge is managing expectations. My park is the first nationally protected Civil Rights site in the state of Mississippi. Many people here do not know what we do as an agency and they don't know how long it takes to do what we need to do in order to get the home open for the public. They think that we have tons of money (which isn't true) and they don't know that we're a preservation agency that has to adhere to many laws and policies. The now is not happening fast enough for them. I understand that. So, I've been using this as an opportunity to teach people about the agency and show them how the sausage is made in establishing a new park.