WASHINGTON – Hundreds of people joined a rally on May 3 to show support for the National Museum of African American History and Culture in the wake of threats by the Trump administration and others that civil rights activists said aim to erase Black history.
Organizers planned the rally after President Donald Trump indicated in a recent executive order that he wanted to curtail "narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive."
The #HandsOffOurHistory rally kicked off on the steps of City Hall before the crowd marched three blocks to the museum on the National Mall. Speakers, including faith leaders, civil rights activists and members of Black sororities and fraternities, urged the crowd to push back against efforts to restrict the teaching of Black history and threats against institutions that showcase that history.
“We will not be erased,’’ said Melanie Campbell, president of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, a civic engagement organization. “This is an assault on our very existence.”
Organizers were spurred to action following Trump's order last month on Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History. In it, Trump singled out some Smithsonian Institution museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture. He said the Smithsonian has “come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology."
"We will restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness," the order reads.
Speakers also vowed at the rally to fight to preserve Black history, including in states such as Florida that have restricted the teaching of Black history and banned some books, many about the Black experience.
At the rally, protestors held up signs saying, “History should be taught, not erased’’ and “I take my history Black.’’
Protestors chanted, “Hands off our history“ as they marched to the museum, nicknamed the Blacksonian.
Nicole Williams of Greenbelt, Maryland, said it was important for her to join the march.
“If we don’t know our history, we’re doomed to repeat it,’’ Williams said as she walked to the museum.
Williams, who earlier represented her sorority Delta Sigma Theta as a speaker, said the threat to Black museums and institutions is real.
“This administration is withholding funding left and right to anything that has to do with Black people, Indigenous people, Latino people,’’ she said. “It is imperative to be out here today to show the opposition that we’re not going to take this laying down. We’re not going to take this quietly.”
Lenny Smith of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, said she and others must push to celebrate the rich history and contributions of African Americans.
"There's too much at stake,'' she said. "I don't want that to be lost to future generations."
Organizers said they plan a series of actions, including a social media campaign. “It’s not just a moment,'' said Karsonya Wise Whitehead, president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. "It’s a movement.’’
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