Nationwide — A quote and picture of Harriet Tubman have been quietly faraway from a Nationwide Park Service webpage in regards to the Underground Railroad, prompting concern from historians and civil rights advocates. The revision is a part of a broader pattern of controversial adjustments to U.S. authorities web sites beneath the Trump administration’s second time period, with critics arguing that these edits downplay the historic realities of slavery and systemic racism in America. Beforehand, the web page opened with Tubman’s picture and a quote acknowledging her position because the Underground Railroad’s most famous conductor.
Based on CNN, comparisons between archived variations of the web page from January and March reveal that not solely have been Tubman’s quote and photograph eliminated, however references to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and the experiences of enslaved people have been additionally deleted. The up to date model now leads with imagery of civil rights-era commemorative stamps and emphasizes themes like “Black/White Cooperation” and “American beliefs of liberty and freedom,” whereas omitting direct mentions of slavery.
The Washington Publish was the primary to report these adjustments, which have since sparked criticism from lecturers and historians. Fergus Bordewich, writer of a guide on the Underground Railroad, referred to as the revision “offensive and absurd” in feedback to CNN, including that the brand new web page had been stripped of its depth and historic worth. He argued that Individuals can “deal with advanced and difficult historic narratives” and shouldn’t be shielded from the painful truths of the nation’s previous.
Janell Hobson, a professor of girls’s research on the College at Albany, additionally expressed concern. She described Tubman as “one among our best American heroes” and stated that minimizing her legacy on such a big web page undermines the reality of American historical past. Hobson emphasised that the Nationwide Park Service has a accountability to honor the total scope of Tubman’s legacy and that of different historic figures who fought for freedom and justice.
Whereas the first Underground Railroad web page has been revised, a separate webpage devoted particularly to Harriet Tubman nonetheless exists. That web page, which particulars her formative years in slavery, her escape to freedom, and her repeated missions to rescue others, doesn’t seem to have been modified since late January. CNN has reached out to the Nationwide Park Service for remark relating to the adjustments and whether or not further revisions are deliberate.
The alterations come amid a broader authorities marketing campaign beneath President Trump to dismantle range, fairness, and inclusion (DEI) efforts throughout federal companies. Earlier this yr, mentions of “transgender” and “queer” have been faraway from a Nationwide Parks web page in regards to the Stonewall Monument, sparking protests. Related actions on the Pentagon concerned purging content material associated to Jackie Robinson, the Holocaust, and sexual assault consciousness. Inside sources revealed that officers have been instructed to flag content material utilizing key phrases comparable to “LGBTQ,” “ethnicity,” and “historical past.” In latest weeks, Trump has additionally overhauled management at key cultural establishments, together with the Kennedy Middle and the Smithsonian, accusing them of selling inappropriate narratives.
