15 hours ago
Censoring the Smithsonian, and History
To the Editor:
Re 'Smithsonian Faces Sweeping Scrutiny' (Arts, Aug. 14):
It is often said that history is told by the winners, and the White House's comprehensive review of Smithsonian exhibitions is a stark reminder of that enduring truth.
Over the last several decades, history museums and historical societies have made great strides in presenting a fuller account of United States history, one that includes not only the perspectives of the victors and the dominant group, but also those of people of color and other marginalized communities. Some of these histories are difficult to confront, yet they are essential to understanding the complex and complicated nature of our past.
Emmett Till's coffin, on display at the Museum of African American History and Culture, is a painful example of this. Many of these stories challenge the notion of American exceptionalism, which is President Trump's singular narrative of America's history.
The administration's review will likely lead to the removal of exhibits that have forced us to confront the tragic and shameful chapters of our national story, leaving Americans with an incomplete and distorted portrait of the past.
Julian Kenneth BraxtonBoston
To the Editor:
Sixty years ago, I was hired as a curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Subsequently, I directed museums at Yale, in New Orleans and in New York. I was elected president of the American Association of Museums (now the American Alliance of Museums) and chaired the American branch of the International Council of Museums.
Throughout my entire professional career, I witnessed how authoritarian regimes controlled the messages conveyed by museums through their exhibitions and programs. I was proud to tell my international colleagues that in the United States, museums do not hold to a party line. We were committed to transmitting the truth based on the facts.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
