Target: Lonnie Bunch, Secretary of the Smithsonian
Goal: Don’t remove and change exhibits because of political pressure.
The White House has undergone a makeover in recent months, including a paved-over Rose Garden, the relocation of several presidential portraits, and a planned extravagant ballroom. The latter will lead to the indefinite suspension of public tours for America’s most famous house, including by student groups. The president is now looking to “renovate” the country’s most distinguished educational centers and museums in his own image as well – to the detriment of learning and history.
Fresh off a rebranding of the cultural arts institution The Kennedy Center into The Trump Center, President Trump has set his latest target on the Smithsonian Institution: a collection of dozens of museums, libraries, landmarks, and research centers based primarily in Washington, DC. The museums had recently come under political fire for featuring exhibits mentioning the president’s previous impeachments, and the exhibit was even temporarily altered to removed said mentions. The president also pushed for the ouster of the Smithsonian’s director.
Fresh from this controversy, the president has decided that several museums and in-development museums are too “woke,” notably the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of American History, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Museum of the American Latino, and the American Women’s History Museum. Although he has no authority to do so, the president has ordered an audit of these museums (along with several others) and removal of “objectionable” exhibits. He was reportedly compelled to this action because he believed the museums shouldn’t emphasize “how bad slavery was.”
The attempted eradication of history will never change history. Sign the petition below to urge Smithsonian leaders to preserve authentic accounts that have educated and enlightened Americans, free of charge, for nearly two centuries.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Secretary Bunch,
“A nation that fears its past has no future” – This quote, often attributed to a man who led during one of the most tumultuous times in history, arguably has more meaning today than it did when it was first uttered. The Smithsonian and its various centers and museums have played an integral role in preserving and presenting America’s past: the good, the bad, and the ugly. It has endured through every conflict, every cultural shift, and every political movement. Its crucial mission must not fall to pressure, or else it will become a tomb.
As another notable person in history, Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, affirmed during his Nobel acceptance speech: “Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” Stand up against unlawful “audits” of American history and culture. Do not remain silent and do not bend to the will of those who would suppress thought, education, and critical discourse.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Blake Patterson
