{"id":7177,"date":"2025-09-07T14:57:34","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T14:57:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=7177"},"modified":"2025-09-07T14:57:34","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T14:57:34","slug":"new-smithsonian-memo-demonstrates-a-fight-with-trump-over-american-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=7177","title":{"rendered":"New Smithsonian Memo Demonstrates a Fight with Trump over American History"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Stacy M. Brown<\/a><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The Smithsonian Institution has launched an internal review of its programming after President Donald Trump ordered sweeping oversight of its exhibitions, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from scholars, curators, and the Black community.<\/p>\n

In a new memo to staff, Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III said the institution would respond to White House demands but underscored that \u201cour independence is paramount.\u201d<\/p>\n

The White House letter directed the Smithsonian to submit information about programming at eight of its 21 museums, with the administration reserving the right to demand content changes within 120 days. Trump has accused the institution of being \u201cout of control,\u201d focusing too heavily on slavery and systemic racism, while not celebrating what he called \u201csuccess\u201d and \u201cbrightness\u201d in American history.<\/p>\n

Bunch, the first African American to lead the Smithsonian, told staff the review would be conducted internally and guided by \u201crigorous scholarship and expertise.\u201d<\/p>\n

The New York Times<\/a> reported that his letter to the White House was approved by the Smithsonian\u2019s three-person executive committee, though not voted on by the full Board of Regents, which includes Vice President JD Vance and Chief Justice John Roberts.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur own review of content to ensure our programming is factual and nonpartisan is ongoing,\u201d Bunch added, \u201cand it is consistent with our authority over our programming and content.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smithsonian\u2019s Future Under Threat<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Trump\u2019s March executive order, titled \u201cRestoring Truth and Sanity to American History,\u201d specifically cited the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for what he called \u201cdivisive, anti-patriotic content.\u201d<\/p>\n

That museum, which opened in 2016, has long been hailed for unearthing untold stories of Black history. Now, its very mission is under political attack.<\/p>\n

In a letter obtained by BlackPressUSA.com earlier this year<\/a>, Bunch assured staff that the Smithsonian would remain committed to \u201ctruth, transparency, and historical scholarship.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe remain steadfast in our mission to bring history, science, education, research, and the arts to all Americans,\u201d Bunch wrote. \u201cWe will continue to showcase world-class exhibits, collections, and objects, rooted in expertise and accuracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Battle Over American Memory<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The fight over Smithsonian content is the latest flashpoint in what experts call a broader campaign to rewrite or sanitize history.<\/p>\n

Dr. Jerry W. Washington, an education scholar writing in The Medium<\/a>, called the executive order part of \u201cthe fight over American memory,\u201d linking it to years of attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and the political weaponization of \u201ccritical race theory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Historians argue that the White House push represents an effort to politicize museum content, undermining the Smithsonian\u2019s role as a nonpartisan presenter of American history.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe consequences are real,\u201d Washington warned. \u201cThis is about more than exhibits. It\u2019s about erasing the truths that make America whole.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Smithsonian, created by Congress in 1846 as a trust, has long balanced autonomy with reliance on federal funding for much of its $1 billion budget. While the White House insists its review seeks only to \u201creplace divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate and constructive descriptions,\u201d critics argue that such directives threaten to erase the painful but essential parts of America\u2019s story.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Smithsonian is rooted in rigorous scholarship and expertise, non-partisanship, and accuracy,\u201d Bunch told his staff.<\/p>\n

Source: Published without changes from Washington Informer Newspaper<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Stacy M. Brown The Smithsonian Institution has launched an internal review of its programming after President Donald<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[255,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-america-under-attack","category-regular-column"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7177"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7178,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7177\/revisions\/7178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}