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People
wait in
line to
enter
the
Smithsonian
National
Museum
of
African
American
History
and
Cultural
on the
National
Mall in
Washington,
Mat 1,
2017.
(AP
Photo/Pablo
Martinez
Monsivais,
File) |
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Trump
Executive
Order
aims to
strip
National
Museum
of
African
American
History
of
funding
and
restore
historical
monuments
Li Haung
-
National
Politics
Tell Us
USA News
Network
WASHINGTON
- Donald
Trump
signed
an
executive
order on
Thursday
aimed at
reshaping
the
Smithsonian
Institution
by
eliminating
programs
and
content
he deems
as
promoting
“divisive
narratives”
or
“improper
ideology.”
The move
is part
of his
broader
effort
to
counter
what he
perceives
as
cultural
and
educational
institutions
drifting
away
from
conservative
values.
Vice
President
JD
Vance, a
member
of the
Smithsonian’s
Board of
Regents,
has been
tasked
with
overseeing
these
changes,
which
encompass
museums,
research
centers,
educational
initiatives,
and even
the
National
Zoo.
Trump
argued
that a
decade-long
effort
to
“rewrite”
American
history
has
replaced
“objective
facts”
with
ideologically
driven
narratives
that
cast the
country’s
founding
principles
in a
negative
light.
He
emphasized
that
museums
and
cultural
institutions
should
foster
unity
and
focus on
shared
American
history,
rather
than
“distorting”
it.
Specific
criticism
was
directed
at the
National
Museum
of
African
American
History
and
Culture,
the
forthcoming
Women’s
History
Museum,
and the
American
Art
Museum.
Additionally,
the
executive
order
outlines
plans to
restore
monuments
and
statues,
including
those of
Confederate
figures
that
were
removed
following
the 2020
protests
sparked
by
George
Floyd’s
killing
and the
rise of
the
Black
Lives
Matter
movement.
Trump
has
framed
these
removals
as an
attack
on
American
history
and
values.
The
order
also
calls
for
enhancements
to
Philadelphia’s
Independence
Hall in
preparation
for the
250th
anniversary
of the
Declaration
of
Independence
in 2026.
Trump’s
order
extends
to
future
Smithsonian
funding,
directing
efforts
to
exclude
programs
that
“divide
Americans
by race”
or
contravene
federal
laws and
policies.
It also
takes a
firm
stance
on the
Women’s
History
Museum,
stating
it
should
celebrate
women
without
recognizing
transgender
individuals
as
women.
Furthermore,
the
order
demands
the
reinstatement
of
historical
properties
and
monuments
altered
or
removed
since
2020 if
they
were
changed
to
reflect
partisan
or
ideological
perspectives.
This
initiative
represents
the
latest
in a
series
of
actions
by the
Trump
administration
to
overhaul
cultural
institutions.
Recently,
Trump
took
over
leadership
of the
John F.
Kennedy
Center
for the
Performing
Arts to
reshape
its
programming
and
forced
Columbia
University
to
implement
policy
changes
by
leveraging
federal
funding.
The
Smithsonian
Institution,
founded
through
the
bequest
of
British
scientist
James
Smithson,
is the
world’s
largest
museum
and
research
complex.
It
operates
21
museums,
including
11 along
the
National
Mall in
Washington,
D.C., as
well as
the
National
Zoo.
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