.png)
Despite its recent opening only around a decade ago, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has been revered as one of its most innovative and impactful institutions. The display of Black suffering, joy, and success has been a source of empowerment for hundreds of thousands of visitors. It holds nearly 40,000 different artifacts in its collection and has ten floors packed with content. From antiques before the Middle Passage to displays of the 2008 election and present-day Black athletes, it is impossible to see everything in a single visit.
However, its most admiring quality is its unwavering devotion to the truth. It does not shy away from highlighting the ugliest parts of America’s past. Exhibits show trauma, oppression, and the vile brutality of white supremacy in our nation’s history—pain that continues to have a substantial impact on the current generation of marginalized people. In spite of the objections of many, race has always played an important part both socially and systematically. All of America’s foundational documents, laws, systems of governing, and democratic processes have been tied to concepts of race. Its research is necessary for understanding the United States, and it must be protected.
On March 27, 2025, Donald Trump signed the executive order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to Our American History,” an order seeking to directly change the presentation of multiple different Smithsonian museums that the Trump administration claims promote “race-centered ideology.” Among the African American Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum are also specifically mentioned as places that the administration takes direct issue with. The president has granted his executive agencies the responsibility of working through the Smithsonian Board of Regents to get rid of said ideology.
Concerning the African American Museum, the extremely vague wording is especially troubling considering that every part of it can be tagged as “race-centered.” Potential revisionist history is extremely dangerous for everyone, marginalized or not. We cannot afford to look at things through rose-colored glasses, unable to recognize fundamental issues that were and still are present in the world that we live in.
The future of the museum still remains uncertain. Kevin Young has taken leave from his position as the director, and attendants have reported that certain artifacts have already been removed. All backgrounds deserve to have their history highlighted. America has always been a nation of diverse people, and there are few things more beautiful than sharing a piece of ourselves with each other. Visit cultural museums, go to cultural festivals, talk to people from different backgrounds—learning about others is a crucial part of the human experience.
.png)