Trump’s Order Strips Slavery Exhibits, Removes Black History

September 16, 2025

The Trump administration has ordered federal agencies to remove exhibits emphasizing slavery and racial injustice by September 17, including potential removal of Philadelphia's President's House memorial that documents George Washington's enslavement of nine people. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's directive has sparked protests, with community leaders and historians condemning it as an attempt to erase Black history and sanitize America's past. This follows earlier administration actions targeting the Smithsonian Institution, particularly the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which were criticized as promoting "anti-American propaganda.

Who is affected

Visitors to federal museums and historic sites
Black Americans whose history is being targeted for removal
Communities in Philadelphia, particularly those connected to the President's House memorial
Historians, curators, and scholars whose work is being censored
The Smithsonian Institution and its visitors
National Park Service sites and their educational programs
Future generations who would receive a sanitized version of American history

What action is being taken

Activists in Philadelphia are organizing rallies to defend the President's House memorial
Community leaders are pressing for urgent meetings with the National Park Service
The President's House Steering Committee is forming specialized subcommittees (historian, architect, educator, and activist committees)
Federal agencies are reviewing exhibits to comply with the administration's directive
Historians and organizations like the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) are publicly condemning the directive
Legal, political, and activist strategies are being developed to keep targeted memorials intact

Why it matters

The directive represents an attempt to control and sanitize America's historical narrative
It threatens to erase evidence of systemic racism and the lived experiences of Black Americans
The President's House memorial educates millions of visitors about the reality of slavery, including by the nation's first president
The directive connects to broader patterns of historical erasure of Black history and culture
It challenges whether Americans will allow federal power to strip away unvarnished truth about the nation's past
According to historians, removing historical truths makes the country "weaker" and "meaner" by limiting understanding of America's full history

What's next

Federal agencies must comply with the directive to remove targeted exhibits by September 17
The President's House Steering Committee plans to meet with various specialized committees including historians, architects, educators, and activists
Community leaders and activists across the nation are planning collaborative efforts to resist attempts to diminish African American history
No explicit next steps stated in the article regarding the administration's plans after the September 17 deadline

Read full article from source: The Washington Informer