Politics and Current
Black historians and leaders condemn the executive order of Trump addressed to the Smithsonian African American Museum: “Literal attack on Black America” - essence
The National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, near the Washington monument. (Photo: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group by Getty Images)
One of the latest executive orders of President Trump is to arouse serious slack and for a reason. New order entitled “Restoring truth and mental health to the history of America” He follows the Smithsonian institution particularly the National Museum of History and Culture of African American-conquering it consisting in pushing “a divisible, focused ideology on the race.”
But about this: the executive order ignores key facts about the history of America, akin to the founders’ fathers wrote slavery in the structure and announced enslaved people as three fifth people.
As Essence informed earlier, the order is about by JD Vance Vice President liable for reviewing the museum content and gives the internal secretary Doug Burgum the right to examine whether any monuments have been removed or modified “to consolidate a false reconstruction of America’s history.” In other words, direct effort is to rewrite history to match the president’s narrative – one which removes the influence of racism and black contribution to the nation.
In 2017, at the starting of his first term, Trump actually praised the African American Museum and culture, saying that “he was deeply proud, that there is now a museum that honors millions of African Americans and women who built our national heritage.” Now he conducts the effort to undermine the institution itself, which he once called the treasure. But historians and black leaders don’t withdraw. As Clarke put it: “Let’s be a bright, black story is America’s story. Every rhetoric that opposes this concept is not only incorrect, but grossly racist.”
Historians, supporters of civil rights and black political leaders shouldn’t have this. Here’s what that they had to say about the latest attempt to whiten history.
01
“A literal attack on Black America” - Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
“Black Smithsonian, what his name is, is indeed one of the bits of the hearts of Black America. Also one of the bits of the heart in the whole nation.” Kendi, a well -known historian and creator, called Trump’s order “A literal attack on Black America itself” And he warned that this was part of a bigger strategy for starvation of black resource institutions. “For me it is part of the plan to starve those institutions that are already starving resources so that the only institutions that tell the story of America in fact tell political propaganda,” said Kendi for the Associated Press.
New York, New York – March 10: Ibram X. Kendi Visits Build to discuss the book Stamp: racism, antiracism and you at Build Studio on March 10, 2020 in New York. (Photo of Michael Laccisano/Getty Images)
02
We don’t run or remove our history ” – Congress Chairman Black Caucus Yvette Clarke
“There is nothing brave or inappropriate in telling the truth. We reject the constant efforts of this administration to whiten the history of our nation.” Clarke and the Congress Black Club issued a powerful statement, condemning Trump’s order as “clearly funny”, emphasizing that it was Trump’s administration – not historians – that is distorting history, falsely accusing others of it. “We do not run or remove our history just because it makes us feel uncomfortable. We fully accept good, evil and ugly.”
United States – July 13: Rep.
03
“They want to deny slavery even existed” -morehouse College Professor, Clarissa Myrick-Harris
“It seems that we are heading in a direction in which there is even an attempt to deny that the institution of slavery existed at all, or that Jim Crow’s rights and racial violence against black communities, black families, black individuals.” Myrick-Harris, a professor of Morehouse College, warned that this movement concerns something greater than just museums-this is an attempt to erase the truth about the past of America.
04
“You can’t erase our past”- Rep. Jasmine Crockett
Rep. Jasmine Crockett condemned this movement, calling him a broader effort to erase marginalized voices from each the present and the past. “The first Trump removes all reference about the diversity from the present – now he is trying to remove it from our history,” wrote Crockett on X. “Let me be completely clear – you can’t remove our past and you can’t stop us from fulfilling our future.”
Washington, DC-26 February: Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) speaks during the interrogation with the government’s subcommittee in the US Capitol on February 26, 2025 in Washington. The supervision of the Chamber carried out a hearing to consider witnesses regarding foreign aid in the USA. (Photo Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
05
“Museums exist to tell the whole story” – former president of Naacp Ben Ben Jezechny
“Attempts to tell the country’s general history always omit … and the place where we came to the possession of these museums so that we can better tell the full history of this country.” Jealous, he pushed himself to the concept that the recognition of the black history is dividing, arguing that museums dedicated to marginalized groups exist precisely because the mainstream history ignored them so long.
Atlanta, Georgia – August 28: former president of NAACP, Ben Jealous, speaks on a march for voting rights at King Center on August 28, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo Derek White/Getty Images)