3 days ago
Historians Alarmed by White House Plan to Oversee Smithsonian Exhibits
Historians and free speech advocates have begun to speak out to express their alarm at the White House's announcement of a wide-ranging review of exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution's museums and galleries.
The free expression group PEN America said it feared the review 'will rewrite history and strip truth from exhibits,' while Sarah Weicksel, the executive director of the American Historical Association, described the Trump administration move as a 'major overstep.'
Ms. Weicksel, who leads the country's largest group of professional historians, said she had been hearing from some of its more than 10,000 members who said they have deep concerns.
'Only historians and trained museum professionals are qualified to conduct such a review, which is intended to ensure historical accuracy,' she said. 'To suggest otherwise is an affront to the professional integrity of curators, historians, educators and everyone involved in the creation of solid, evidence-based content.'
The White House's announced review is a challenge to the Smithsonian, which has traditionally operated as an independent institution and regards itself as being outside the control of the executive branch. It is governed by a 17-member Board of Regents that includes Democrats and Republicans and is overseen by Congress.
Earlier this year, when Mr. Trump announced that he was firing the director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, the institution asserted in a statement that it holds the power over personnel. The regents did agree, though, to have the institution perform its own internal review of content for possible bias or partisanship. That review is ongoing, and the museum director, Kim Sajet, resigned shortly afterward.
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