How Trump is attacking Black history.

Protecting Black history.

As part of its anti-woke movement, the Trump administration has been on a swift and intentional campaign to erase stories of Black history from federal accounts. Here are a few examples:

The National Park Service rewrote a webpage about the Underground Railroad to de-emphasize Harriet Tubman's role in Black resistance to enslavement. After public outcry, the agency restored Tubman's photograph and a quote mentioning enslavement.Trump signed an executive order in March 2025 claiming the Smithsonian Institution is being influenced by a "divisive, race-centered ideology." The order specifically described the National Museum of African American History and Culture as "oppressive" and empowered Vice President JD Vance to review all Smithsonian programs and centers to remove what the president calls "improper ideology."Stories of Medgar Evers and other Black veterans' accomplishments have been removed from portions of the Arlington National Cemetery website.Information about baseball legend Jackie Robinson's U.S. Army career was briefly removed from the Department of Defense website. The URL had included the tag "dei" (diversity, equity, and inclusion).A profile of Army Maj. Gen. Charles C. Rogers, who served in Vietnam and became the highest-ranking Black servicemember to receive the Medal of Honor, was removed and then reinstated.A demolition crew has razed Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C. in response to Republican threats to district funding. The plaza was created after George Floyd's murder in 2020.The National Park Service withdrew an 11-mile stretch of the Great River Road along the Mississippi River from consideration for National Historic Landmark designation in February, despite a prior agency study noting the area's "exceptional integrity" in representing the impact of slavery on Black Americans.Multiple federal agencies including the Centers for Disease Control, National Park Service, State Department and Social Security Administration removed references to transgender people, which historians note disproportionately affects Black trans individuals.

These efforts, paired with efforts to erase LGBTQ+ narratives, ban diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at schools and workplaces, and the rise of book bans across the country, can forever impact the way we honor and remember Black and other marginalized groups.

That's why I'm committed to expanding this series throughout the year, creating content on social media, and building more resources for schools and workplaces to learn the history – and future – of Black people and culture. I'm so grateful you're here reading along with us.

Here are three ways you can take action to protect Black history:

Go to city council and school board meetings to see how your city is addressing Black history where you live. Are important landmarks being removed? Is curriculum being changed? Do what you can to stay educated, and mobilize your community to take action.Become a member of local Black history museums or cultural centers. Spend time going on walking tours and learning from local Black leaders.Share Black history facts and stories on social media beyond just Black History Month.

I’m grateful that we’re committed to reading stories together. See you next Wednesday for our next edition!

Nicole