WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Some artifacts and exhibits are being removed from the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
It comes a month after President Trump’s executive order to remove what he calls “improper ideology” from Smithsonian museums.
Trump’s executive order could reshape Smithsonian museums, sparking controversy
Tourists travel from across the country to see the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
“Black history is also American history,” said visitor Teneka Williams from Suffolk, Va.
“I wanted to make sure that I got to go through the exhibit and see the things that my parents and other people sacrificed,” said visitor Sharon Small from Atlanta, Ga.
But some of the objects in the museum are being removed.
“I’m concerned about what might not be here in a few months,” Small said.
Civil rights activist and San Francisco Pastor Rev. Dr. Amos Brown received an email this month stating that his artifacts were being returned.
The Smithsonian told him, “Your books are delicate. Well, they know how to preserve things,” Brown said. “I did not get an email saying we are temporarily sending it back for repair, or we are going to repair. It was this general email saying we are sending back to you your book, your bible.”
Since 2016, the museum has had Brown’s bible from when he went to demonstrations with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesse Jackson.
They also had his copy of “History of the Negro Race, 1618-1880.” It was the first comprehensive history of African Americans from slavery through Reconstruction.
“It is an assault on Black folks’ humanity, their ethnic and cultural identity, and is downright inhumane,” Brown said.
According to Blackpressusa.com, the museum’s 1960 Woolworth’s Lunch Counter Sit-In exhibit is also being dismantled.
“It’s erasing or trying to hide past, a Black history. And I think it shouldn’t be hidden or erased. I think it needs to be highlighted,” Williams said.
The Smithsonian has not responded to a request for comment.
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