Critics see Trump attacks on the 'Black Smithsonian' as an effort to sanitize racism in US history
- President Donald Trump signed an executive order to restore a traditional view of history in museums, citing a "concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history" as the motivation for this action.
- The order tasks Vice President J.D. Vance with removing "improper ideology" from the Smithsonian Institution and calls for the reinstallation of monuments altered in recent years.
- Critics, including activist Ibram X. Kendi and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke, argue that the order distorts the historical narrative and downplays Black Americans' contributions.
- Kevin Young, the director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, recently left his position amid scrutiny from the Trump administration.
249 Articles
249 Articles
Trump orders purge of Black History from Smithsonian, targets African American Museum
The executive order is chillingly titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” It declares that the Smithsonian, once a symbol of “American excellence,” has become tainted by narratives that portray “American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”
Clarence Page: Trump, Vance raise puzzling question at the Smithsonian: What’s ‘improper ideology?’
President Trump has signed an executive order that directs Vice President JD Vance to eliminate “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology” from Smithsonian museums, educational and research centers, and the National Zoo. My immediate reaction? Surely, you jest, sir. There may not be any area of American discourse that is more divisive or conflict-ridden than the arena of race. As I have witnessed many times in the past, race as a topic of con…
Race isn't a 'biological reality,' contrary to recent political claims
In the recent flurry of executive orders from President Donald Trump, one warned of "a distorted narrative" about race "driven by ideology rather than truth." It singled out a current exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum titled "The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture" as an example. The exhibit displays over two centuries of sculptures that show how art has produced and reproduced racial attitudes and ideologies.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 59% of the sources are Center
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
Ownership
To view ownership data please Upgrade to Vantage