The Trump regime’s campaign of whitewashing US history has reached the halls of the Smithsonian museums, with exhibits dealing with slavery, the civil rights movement, and other struggles against oppression now under threat of elimination.
The regime has ordered a review of seven museums thus far and threatened to block federal funding – which accounts for the majority of the museums’ budgets – unless administrators bring displays into conformity with the regime’s ideology.
This attack on the past is all about the politics of the present. The Trump regime is methodically dismantling programs that seek to address inequality and fight discrimination. That white nationalist project becomes far easier if the public lacks the historical context for why those programs were created and remain critical to our progress as a nation.
All of us need to push back. Join us in urging the Smithsonian Board of Regents to reject this interference and defend the right of all Americans to learn the full truth about our history.
We are deeply concerned about recent threats to the civil rights and Black history exhibits at the Smithsonian. These exhibits are essential to telling the full story of our nation. America's story is one that includes both injustices and the people who fought to overcome them.
As taxpayers and supporters of the Smithsonian’s mission to preserve and present truth, we urge the Board of Regents to reject any attempts to censor, or diminish these critical parts of our shared history.
The Smithsonian must stand firm in its commitment to historical integrity, racial justice, and the truth.
We call on the Board to make a public statement affirming its commitment to protecting these exhibits and the truthful telling of American history.
Now is the time to defend truth, not erase it.