Donald Trump signed an Executive Order Thursday against the Smithsonian Institution, ordering it to do away with any form of diversity and ideology in their exhibits which doesn't fit his conservative, White and Christian nationalist version of US history.
Trump continued to take a sledgehammer to all non-whites and women who have contributed to the greatness of the United States of America.
Trump is putting JD Vance in charge of filtering out anything they deem to the left of the MAGA cult which includes the Smithsonian's museums, education and research centers, and the National Zoo.
Trump claimed there has been a “concerted and widespread” effort over the past decade to rewrite American history by replacing “objective facts” with a “distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth,” adding that it casts the “founding principles” of the United States in a “negative light.”
The order he signed behind closed doors puts Vice President JD Vance, who serves on the Smithsonian Institution’s Board of Regents, in charge of overseeing efforts to “remove improper ideology” from all areas of the institution, including its museums, education and research centers, and the National Zoo.
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Guess what part of the Smithsonian Trump is focused on removing first: National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Expect Confederate statues to return and much worse.
Why the American Art Museum? Historian Adam Rothman flagged this section of Trump’s order:
…the Smithsonian American Art Museum today features “The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture,” an exhibit representing that “[s]ocieties including the United States have used race to establish and maintain systems of power, privilege, and disenfranchisement.” The exhibit further claims that “sculpture has been a powerful tool in promoting scientific racism” and promotes the view that race is not a biological reality but a social construct, stating “Race is a human invention.”
“That's a true statement!” Rothman responded with exclamation points uncharacteristic of a historian. “The idea that race is biological was the foundation of racism!”In other words — which could/probably should be headline words — the president of the United States just decreed that racial distinctions are biological — literally the deadliest, most destructive, most divisive narrative in U.S. history. And German history.Trump wrote that, “Museums in our Nation’s capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history.”
Karoli adds: I visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture a couple of years ago with my podcast partners, Aliza and Donna. It is a moving and educational experience to see the achievements of Black folks in the face of slavery, poverty, and constant prejudice. The theme of the museum is how Black folks have contributed to American culture and economic success. The idea that anything in that museum should edited or removed is repugnant, and outright white supremacy served with a side of Christian nationalism and fascism.
Black folks are not an "ism." They're not some kind of "divisive narrative." They were brought here as slaves and have overcome that heritage in many ways, but there is more to do, and that museum is part of an education that everyone should have.
It's despicable.
