Racism, Institutional or Otherwise, in America

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   IslandBitesposted 13 days ago

   The Trump administration is ordering the removal of information on slavery at multiple national parks in an effort to scrub them of “corrosive ideology.”
   
   The Trump administration has ordered the removal of signs and exhibits related to slavery at multiple national parks, according to four people familiar with the matter, including a historic photograph of a formerly enslaved man showing scars on his back.
   
   
   
   The individuals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media, said the removals were in line with President Donald Trump’s March executive order directing the Interior Department to eliminate information that reflects a “corrosive ideology” that disparages historic Americans. National Park Service officials are broadly interpreting that directive to apply to information on racism, sexism, slavery, gay rights or persecution of Indigenous people.
   
   Following Trump’s order, Interior Department officials issued policies ordering agency employees to report any information, including signage and gift shop items, that might be out of compliance. Trump officials also launched an effort asking park visitors to report offending material, but they mostly received criticisms of the administration and praise for the parks.
   
   Separately, Park Service officials have ordered the removal of a photograph illustrating violence against slaves, known as “The Scourged Back,” at one national park. The photograph, taken in 1863, shows scars on the back of a man probably named Peter Gordon from wounds inflicted by his masters before he escaped slavery.
   
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      My Esotericposted 13 days agoin reply to this

      Are those conservative love taps on his back? I'll wonder how many will say that pic is fake.

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         Readmikenowposted 12 days agoin reply to this

         "conservative love taps"
         
         Obviously, you have no grasp of history.
         
         So sad.

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   Sharlee01posted 13 days ago

   AI   After checking the publicly available records:
   
   There is no official White House statement, press release, or executive order that specifically directs the removal of the photograph known as “The Scourged Back” from any national park.
   
   The National Park Service has not issued a directive naming this photograph for removal. Decisions about exhibits are generally made at the agency level, not by the White House directly.
   
   All reporting in the media so far comes from sources citing unnamed officials or “people familiar with the matter,” not from any verifiable document or named government authority.
   
   ✅ Fact: There is currently no verifiable government order mandating the removal of this photograph. Media reports claiming it are based on anonymous sources or interpretation, not on official documentation.
   
   Hopefully, some facts can be offered to substantiate these claims posted by WAPO.  Facts should matter.

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      My Esotericposted 13 days agoin reply to this

      Aren't you focusing on picking apart a detail instead of addressing the larger issue. That’s a clever tactic, but it doesn’t change the fact that the bigger point still stands - our history is being removed — and until that is answered directly, all the side-shots in the world won’t move the discussion forward.”

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         wildernessposted 12 days agoin reply to this

         Yes, the BIGGER point still stands - a report that the picture is ordered removed, along with others, is false to fact.  A lie.  No truth in it.
         
         And that is the "larger issue".

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      Credence2posted 12 days agoin reply to this

      Rest assured that I will be watching Trump and the administrations moves on this matter very closely and I will be all over him like a cheap suit if he attempts to remove the iconic photo or any other whitewashing in regards to African American history from public museums.

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         My Esotericposted 12 days agoin reply to this

         Sharlee is right, there are no first-hand reports that says any material has been removed due to the EO. I trust WAPOs reporting, just as others trust Trump, because they are an honest, truthful newspaper. Sooner or later somebody will take the time to check it out and report on it.
         
         That said, Trump has pulled down thousands of gov't websites which contain information he personally does not like.

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3. 68

   IslandBitesposted 12 days ago

   Park Service Is Ordered to Take Down Some Materials on Slavery and Tribes
   
   The Trump administration has ordered several National Park Service sites to take down materials related to slavery and Native Americans, including an 1863 photograph of a formerly enslaved man with scars on his back that became one of the most powerful images of the Civil War era.
   
   The moves by the administration were outlined in internal emails reviewed by The New York Times and two people briefed on the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.
   
   At Fort Pulaski National Monument in Georgia, Trump officials have directed Park Service staff to remove a reproduction of “The Scourged Back,” the famous photo that depicts the formerly enslaved man, who was known as both Peter and Gordon, exposing severe scars on his back from whippings, according to the emails and one of the people briefed on the matter.
   
   At Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia, Trump officials have instructed park employees to take down a sign that criticizes the post-Civil War “Lost Cause” ideology, which romanticized the Confederacy and denied slavery’s central role in the conflict.
   
   At Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, officials plan to substantially alter an exhibit that memorializes nine people enslaved by George Washington. Mr. Trump’s executive order in March specifically flagged exhibits at Independence National Historical Park for review, claiming the Biden administration had advanced “corrosive ideology” there that taught visitors that “America is purportedly racist.”
   
   And at Arlington House in Virginia, the former home of Robert E. Lee, who led the Army of Northern Virginia on the Confederate side, Trump officials have instructed park staff to stop using a booklet that was designed to teach children about slavery, said Stephen Hammond, a descendant of people who were enslaved at the house.
   
   At several other national parks, the Trump administration has ordered the removal of signs and other materials that state that the land once belonged to Native American tribes, according to one of the people briefed on the matter.
   
   Mr. Trump’s March executive order directed Park Service employees to flag materials by mid-July that could be changed or deleted. It said the administration would begin removing all “inappropriate” content starting this Wednesday, Sept. 17.
   
   
   https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/clim … =url-share

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      IslandBitesposted 12 days agoin reply to this

      Interior says it has not been asked to remove ‘Scourged Back’ photo
      
      “I can confirm that NPS sites were not asked to remove the photo. If any interpretive materials are found to have been removed or altered prematurely or in error, the Department will review the circumstances and take corrective action as appropriate,” Department spokesperson Elizabeth Peace told The Hill.
      
      “Our goal is accuracy and balance, not removal for its own sake, and we are committed to making corrections if mistakes occur.”
      
      “Interpretive materials that disproportionately emphasize negative aspects of U.S. history or historical figures, without acknowledging broader context or national progress, can unintentionally distort understanding rather than enrich it,” Park Service spokesperson Rachel Pawlitz previously told the Post.

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   My Esotericposted 11 days ago

   Black man found dead hanging from a tree in Mississippi - Nothing to see here claims authorities.
   
   https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/17/us/missi … tudent-hnk

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      wildernessposted 11 days agoin reply to this

      He was one of about 50,000 suicides in the US each year.  Black suicides are up recently. 
      
      Is there anything else notable about this unfortunate man?

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5. 68

   IslandBitesposted 8 days ago

   National parks remove signs about climate, slavery and Japanese detention
   
   
   A display at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in New York City was taken down for making reference to historical events like slavery, Japanese camps and conflicts with Native Americans in describing the park system, according to two people familiar with the matter and photos reviewed by The Post.
   
   “Some very new parks preserve not just lands or buildings but our nation’s ideas and ideals. They remind us of things we hope to live up to — like women’s rights and liberty — and things we hope never to repeat — like slavery, massacres of Indians, or holding Japanese Americans in wartime camps,” the display said, prior to its removal.

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      wildernessposted 8 days agoin reply to this

      Although I personally find this kind of thing reprehensible, I'm not surprised.  We saw it, in spades, as vandals took down whatever they didn't like of our civil war era.  Again, and as we've seen so often, Trump learns fast and what he likes he keeps for possible future use.
      
      For me, our history is ours to keep.  The good, the bad and the ugly are all there and should all be kept.

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         Kathryn L Hillposted 8 days agoin reply to this

         It's in the books.

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