Nationwide — A quote and picture of Harriet Tubman have been quietly faraway from a National Park Service webpage concerning the Underground Railroad, prompting concern from historians and civil rights advocates. The revision is a part of a broader development of controversial modifications 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 function 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 had been Tubman’s quote and photograph eliminated, however references to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and the experiences of enslaved people had 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 modifications, which have since sparked criticism from lecturers and historians. Fergus Bordewich, creator of a e-book 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 People can “deal with complicated 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 in all our best American heroes” and stated that minimizing her legacy on such a major web page undermines the reality of American historical past. Hobson emphasised that the Nationwide Park Service has a accountability to honor the complete 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 youth 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 modifications 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 businesses. Earlier this yr, mentions of “transgender” and “queer” had been faraway from a Nationwide Parks web page concerning the Stonewall Monument, sparking protests. Comparable actions on the Pentagon concerned purging content material associated to Jackie Robinson, the Holocaust, and sexual assault consciousness. Inner sources revealed that officers had been instructed to flag content material utilizing key phrases reminiscent of “LGBTQ,” “ethnicity,” and “historical past.” In current weeks, Trump has additionally overhauled management at key cultural establishments, together with the Kennedy Heart and the Smithsonian, accusing them of selling inappropriate narratives.
