Trump order aims to change our understanding of history
Episode description
In an executive order called “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” President Trump criticizes Smithsonian exhibits that examine how race interacts with power and privilege. He claims they “portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”
The executive order also threatens to take away funding from exhibitions within the Smithsonian Museum network that promote what the administration is calling “a divisive, race-centered ideology.”
Under President Trump’s order, a number of federally funded museums could lose government support unless they make changes to their programming.
But there are smaller organizations that are forging ahead to preserve American history—including history about race.
Guest:
- Stephanie Johnson Toliver, the President of the Black Heritage Society of Washington
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