The Trump administration has decided to take down significant displays from the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) located in Washington, D.C. This includes the original Woolworth’s lunch counter, which is a notable artifact from the 1960 sit-in that took place in Greensboro, NC. April Ryan, Washington Bureau Chief of Black Press USA, delivered the latest updates.
Trump criticized the museum following the signing of an executive order aimed at the country’s parks and museums.
“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,” he stated, as reported by USA Today.
Attorney Lindsey Halligan has been assigned by the Trump Administration to transform the Smithsonian in order to redefine American history. Halligan, reportedly talking with Vice President JD Vance regarding which items should be eliminated, expressed to the Washington Post her belief that the existing exhibits focus excessively on the nation’s more troubling past, a perspective she argues could exacerbate divisions within the country.
The sit-in of 1960 was a crucial moment in the civil rights movement, showcasing the courage of four Black college students from North Carolina A&T who engaged in a peaceful demonstration by occupying a whites-only counter in a restaurant.
“This president is a master of distraction and is destroying what it took 250 years to build. Here’s another distraction in his quest for attention. Another failure of his first 100 days,” remarked North Carolina Representative and NCAT alumna Alma Adams regarding the removal of the artifact.
Adams also states, “We are long past the time when you can erase history—anyone’s history. You can take down exhibits, close buildings, take down websites, ban books, and try to change history, but we are long past that point. We will never forget!”
L-R: Civil Rights Leader and Pastor of Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, Rev. Dr. Amos Brown; Brown (middle) photograph with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. (left) and Roy Wilkins (right) in honor of 50th anniversary of the NAACP; Photo Credit: Craig Lee/San Francisco Examiner
According to Black Press USA, civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Amos Brown, who serves as the pastor for former Vice President Kamala Harris, has been informed that his personal Bible and a rare edition of History of the Negro Race in America, 1618-1880, from the segregation exhibit are set to be returned.
The NMAAHC, often referred to as the Blacksonian, has served as an essential venue for conveying the authentic narrative of Black America. However, the recent removal of key exhibits suggests a possible change in the collective memory and educational landscape as we move forward into Trump’s second term.