Emmett Till National Monument Could Lose Designation Due To DOJ Opinion
Last week, the Department of Justice issued a legal opinion reversing nearly 100 years of legal precedent by allowing the president to revoke national monument designations if he feels the protection isn't warranted. There's growing concern among activists and former national parks officials that this ruling, along with proposed budget cuts and an executive order targeting 'improper ideology' in national parks and museums, could result in the closure of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument along with several other monuments dedicated to the civil rights movement.
According to CBS News, the opinion comes as the Trump administration also seeks to cut nearly $1 billion in funding for the national parks and monuments. The opinion reverses a 1938 determination that monuments created by previous presidents under the Antiquities Act can't be revoked. As a result of the ruling and proposed budget cuts, there's concern that the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monuments could be at risk of closure should the monument designation be revoked or its funding be cut.
The Emmett Till monument is still fairly recent, having only been given the national monument designation in 2023 during the Biden administration. The designation came after a years-long fight by Alan Spears, senior director of cultural resources and government affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association, and several other community leaders.
'His badly decomposed body was taken from the water, and officials in this area wanted to have him buried immediately to sort of get rid of the evidence,' Spears explained to CBS. 'His mother insisted that he'd be sent back to Chicago, where they had an open casket funeral. And images of Till's badly decomposed body in that open casket really sparked the modern civil rights movement.'
The monument consists of three sites: Graball Landing in Mississippi where Emmett's body was found; Sumner, Mississippi, where Till's confessed killers were tried and found not guilty in the local courthouse; and Chicago's Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Illinois, where Till's open casket funeral was held.
Spears told CBS News the monument was necessary to 'make sure it doesn't happen to anybody else's son ever again.' Source: Scott Olson / Getty
This new ruling allows Trump to close and remove any monument that he feels doesn't present America in the best light. Given the Trump administration's tendency to use diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as a catchall term to assault anything that celebrates Black people, concerns around national monuments dedicated to Black history are more than warranted.
It doesn't help that White House spokesperson Anne Kelly basically confirmed that this was the plan in a statement sent to CBS News.
'Under President Trump's leadership, Secretary [Doug] Burgum is keeping our parks ready for peak season, ensuring they are in pristine condition for visitors, and restoring truth and sanity to depictions of American history in line with the President's Executive Order,' Kelly wrote.
'Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,' the executive order Kelly made reference to, demands the removal of 'improper ideology' from national museums.
It also ordered a review to 'determine whether, since January 1, 2020, public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties within the Department of the Interior's jurisdiction have been removed or changed to perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history, inappropriately minimize the value of certain historical events or figures, or include any other improper partisan ideology.'
Given that the designation for the Emmett Till National Monument was given in 2023, it would be included in that review. Source: Scott Olson / Getty
The order has already spurred concerns about the removal of several exhibits at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. 'We are seeing this effort to erase and reverse history and historic preservation,' Spears told CBS News. 'This is turning quickly into a dream deferred.'
Former National Park Service Director Chuck Sams was involved in the designation of five national monuments under the Biden administration, including the Emmett Till monument. He strongly disagrees with the Trump administration's approach and believes that the potential closure of the Till monument would be 'very sad and egregious.'
'People don't like to look at their past when it shows a negative light of who we are, and I can understand that nobody likes to look at their own personal past that may have a negative light, but we also know that in order to learn from our own history, we also have to learn from our past mistakes,' Sams told CBS News.
In addition to the Till monuments, quite a few of our national monuments are designed specifically to spotlight the sins of America's past. The Carlisle Indian Industrial School was made into a national monument in 2024 and is used to teach about America's questionable methods of assimilating Native Americans.
In that same year, President Biden also designated the site of the 1908 Springfield Race Riot, where a group of white people burned down apartment homes in a predominantly Black neighborhood, as a national monument. Work is still in progress on the monument, and with the proposed budget cuts and executive order, it's unclear if that work will be finished.
SEE ALSO:
Jackie Robinson's Army History Erased In Trump's DEI Purge
Poll Shows Companies Maintaing DEI Intiatives Have Better Reputations
SEE ALSO
Emmett Till National Monument Could Lose Designation Due To DOJ Opinion was originally published on newsone.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Engadget
14 minutes ago
- Engadget
The UK will no longer require Apple to create backdoor access to users' data
UK officials will no longer compel Apple to create backdoor access to its users' data, according to US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. She wrote on X that she, President Trump and Vice President Vance worked closely with their "partners in the UK" over the past months. "As a result," she continued, "the UK has agreed to drop its mandate for Apple to provide a 'back door' that would have enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens and encroached on our civil liberties." As The New York Times notes, the UK government issued the secret order earlier this year after amending the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016. The law gives the UK government the right to compel companies to turn over data to law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Reports about the mandate started to come out in February, however, and Apple pretty much confirmed it when it disabled iCloud's Advanced Data Protection feature in the UK. ADP gives users the power to to add optional end-to-end encryption to a variety of iCloud data, which means the information can't be accessed by authorities unless they have the user's device in their hands. "As we have said many times before, we have never built a backdoor or master key to any of our products or services and we never will," Apple said at the time. A bipartisan group of US lawmakers asked Gabbard to take measures to prevent what they called "a foreign cyberattack waged through political means" after the information about the mandate went public. Meanwhile, Apple filed a complained with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), which "investigates complaints about the alleged conduct of public bodies in relation to members of the public," to get the order reversed. The company has yet to issue an official statement about the reversal of the UK mandate.
Boston Globe
14 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
For economists and CEOs, Trump is the micromanager from hell
The president — who I would ordinarily assume is too busy to micromanage our lives — has started to reach into companies and reprimand workers who, in his view, aren't doing a good job. Consider Jan Hatzius, the chief economist at Goldman Sachs, who isn't a particularly famous person, except to the CNBC set. In 2009, Arizona State University awarded Hatzius Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Hatzius may not be People's 'Sexiest Man Alive.' But still. For an economist, accuracy is sexy enough. Advertisement At least it was until last week, when President Trump asked Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon to fire Hatzius because he predicted that tariffs would increasingly strain the economy. 'Tariffs have not caused Inflation, or any other problems for America, other than massive amounts of CASH pouring into our Treasury's coffers,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. Of course, the president is entitled to his opinion, but he went further than that. 'I think that David should go out and get himself a new Economist,' Trump noted, 'or, maybe, he ought to just focus on being a DJ, and not bother running a major Financial Institution.' Advertisement Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon is interviewed on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York on July 16. Seth Wenig/Associated Press Hatzius may turn out to be wrong about the effect of tariffs, but with a doctorate in economics from Oxford and 30 years working as an economist, he's unquestionably an expert. If I was looking to predict where the economy was going, I'd have to choose the two-time 'Most Accurate Economist' over the president. In the days after the president's post, the wholesale cost of goods 'You can fire the BLS Commissioner [ 'People are still going to experience what they're experiencing at the grocery store. They're still going to experience what they are experiencing in the job market,' she says. 'The economy is a very, very difficult thing to obfuscate. You know, who are you gonna believe? Me? Or your lying bank account?' The president has argued that the tariffs will be absorbed by other countries, but Gimbel (along with most economists) disagrees. 'There is a lot of evidence about this, and the evidence is that the US consumer pays the tariffs.... The people who are gonna get hurt by this are the people who are trying to buy bananas for their 1-year-olds at the grocery store.' Advertisement But the president's singling out of individuals doing their jobs is part of a disturbing pattern. The call for Solomon to axe Hatzius — or perhaps to step aside himself — came just a few days after Trump demanded the firing of Lip-Bu Tan, the CEO of Intel. 'The CEO of Intel is highly CONFLICTED and must resign, immediately,' the president noted on Truth Social. 'There is no other solution to this problem.' Intel's shares immediately dipped, and Tan went to the White House to try to convince the president he deserved his job. Apparently, things went well, because Trump then wrote on social media that Tan's 'success and rise is an amazing story,' and the US government is now discussing taking a stake in the company. (Though being a 'success' seems to have little connection to whether or not Tan has ties to China that might serve as conflicts, which was Trump's original allegation.) Lip-Bu Tan, chief executive officer of Intel Corp., departs following a meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 11. Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg Ordinarily, whether Tan is well-suited to run Intel would seem to have little to do with the president. Tan's background is in physics and nuclear engineering (he has a master's degree from MIT), and he joined Intel earlier this year to help the one-time king of computer chips reverse its multi-year slide. But why trust tech experts to run tech companies? Why trust economists to make economic predictions? Of course, part of what we're seeing is a broader devaluing of expertise and data. But we're also starting to inhabit a world in which the president is always watching. And what he says does more than move markets — it affects livelihoods. Advertisement If a restaurateur talks publicly about the effect of surging vegetable prices in his restaurant, beware of blowback. (On Aug. 14, the government released data Increasingly, corporate leaders — even those lower than the C-suite — may start to wonder: Should they say what they think? Write what they believe? How worried should companies be about those who don't toe the party line? In Bloomberg , Mihir Sharma Sharma might be overreacting, or not. But fear is settling in. And no one knows where the line is. That can't be good for business, largely because it silences independent thinkers, those with contrarian views, and anyone who is perceived as somehow out of the mainstream. In our new reality, expertise doesn't protect you. Obscurity doesn't protect you. Data doesn't protect you. Telling the truth — perhaps even just being who you are — may be a problem. And if the president isn't a fan of yours, beware. He may just let you know. Follow Kara Miller
Boston Globe
14 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Takeaways from Trump's meeting with Zelensky and Europeans: Praise, security talks, more meetings
Following the talks, Trump called and spoke at length to Russian President Vladimir Putin who got the red carpet treatment at a summit with Trump last Friday in Alaska, to discuss the extraordinary gathering of allies. Trump said he would now work to arrange a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin. Advertisement Here are key takeaways: Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Trump says the US could back security guarantees for Ukraine A central question for peace talks is how to prevent further Russian aggression in the future. Trump has ruled out allowing Ukraine to join NATO, which would extend the military alliance's protection to the besieged country. He did, however, express support for security guarantees for Ukraine — though details remain vague. European countries 'want to give protection and they feel very strongly about it and we'll help them out with that,' Trump said. That pleased Zelenskyy, who said the US was offering 'such (a) strong signal.' With Europeans looking to set up a force that could backstop any peace agreement in Ukraine, Trump suggested that Putin would be open to accepting security guarantees. His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Sunday that Moscow was open to accepting NATO-style protections for Ukraine. Advertisement European leaders applauded that notion, and the larger meaning it would carry. 'When we speak about security guarantees, we speak about the whole security of the European continent,' French President Emmanuel Macron said. Macron said talks to determine what the U.S. is willing to provide will start as soon as Tuesday. European leaders praise Trump but say tough work is still ahead The Europeans came to show a united front on Ukraine, and many used public comments to heap praise on Trump. That was striking given tensions over Trump's threats to impose steep tariffs and other issues. Ahead of their meeting, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called Trump 'dear Donald' and said of fighting in Ukraine: 'If we play this well, we could end it.' In an interview later with Fox News Channel, Rutte called Trump 'amazing' and said potential swaps of Ukrainian territory weren't discussed. 'First, we need full clarity on security guidelines,' Rutte said. Though Ukraine might not have NATO membership, he noted, there would be discussions for security guarantees similar to those extended to members of the alliance. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said after the meeting that there was 'real progress' and a 'real sense of unity.' Before the leaders spoke privately at the White House, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said all the parties were working together on 'a just and lasting peace.' Offering a more measured tone was German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said 'the path is open now' to halting the fighting but next steps are 'more complicated.' 'Let's try to put pressure on Russia,' Merz said, adding that he would like to see a ceasefire come together. Advertisement Trump was noncommittal, saying, 'If we can do the ceasefire, great,' but suggested it was far from a dealbreaker. He dropped his push for a ceasefire after Friday's summit, aligning with Putin's position that negotiations should focus on a long-term peace settlement instead. The good feelings extended to Zelenskyy and Trump. After Ukraine's leader praised the 'very good conversation' with Trump, the U.S. president responded, 'Great remarks. I appreciated it.' Speaking to reporters Monday night, Merz said the Russian demand that Ukraine give up unconquered parts of its eastern Donbas region to end the fighting would be equivalent to the U.S. giving up Florida. More formal attire — and a far different reception — for Zelensky The meeting with Trump in the Oval Office on Monday was dramatically different than six months ago, when Trump and Vance harangued Zelenskyy for not being thankful enough for US military support. Trump even seemed to relish a reporter from a conservative outlet asking then why Zelenskyy wasn't wearing a suit at the White House. Ukraine's leader came prepared this time, wearing a black shirt and blazer. The same reporter told Zelenskyy, 'You look fabulous,' and Trump responded, 'I said the same thing.' Then Trump said to Zelenskyy: 'That's the one that attacked you last time.' The Ukrainian president said he remembered, then playfully needled his questioner. 'You are in the same suit,' Zelenskyy said as laughter rippled through the room. 'I changed. You did not.' Ukraine's president usually appears in a trademark hoodie or T-shirt — a show of solidarity with Ukrainian forces on the front lines. Zelensky also expressed gratitude to the US and European allies for supporting his country, and repeatedly thanked first lady Melania Trump for sending a letter to Putin about stopping the killing of children during the war. Advertisement In the Oval Office, Vance gave no public comments. Next steps in the negotiations turn back to Putin Trump, who bragged on numerous occasions during the campaign that he could settle Russia's war in Ukraine in a day, said repeatedly Monday that it was far more complicated than he ever thought it would be. But he also suggested — likely implausibly — that the fighting that has raged for years could wind down quickly. 'A week or two weeks, we'll know whether we're going to solve this, or if this horrible fighting is going to continue,' said Trump, even suggesting the issues yet to be hammered out weren't 'overly complex.' Still, much remains unresolved, including red lines that are incompatible — like whether Ukraine will cede any land to Russia, the future of Ukraine's army and whether the country will ultimately have lasting and meaningful security guarantees. Trump said he had begun arrangements for a face-to-face meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy. But Russian foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said only that Putin and Trump had a 40-minute phone call and 'spoke in favor' of continuing direct talks between the sides, Russian state news agency Tass reported. Outside the White House, Zelenskyy said no date had been set for such a meeting but that the US suggested it be as soon as possible. 'But for that, agreement of all sides is needed,' he said. He added that the question of territory 'is a matter that we will leave between me and Putin.' Though many European leaders oppose forgoing a possible ceasefire on the road to seeking lasting peace, they have supported a meeting by Trump, Zelenskyy and Putin in the meantime. Macron suggested that another summit could feature the three presidents and also top European leaders. Advertisement 'The idea of trilateral meeting is very important, because this is the only way to fix it,' the French president said.
