Courier Newsroom , New Pittsburgh Courier; Guest Editorial: Bunch exit from Smithsonian latest casualty in Trump’s war on Black history
[Kip Currier: The Pittsburgh Courier has a rich history as one of America's most influential Black newspapers. The paper was started as a simple broadsheet in 1907 by aspiring writer and H.J. Heinz Company security guard, Edwin Nathaniel Harleston. In the 1960's the paper was relaunched as The New Pittsburgh Courier.
The editorial below addresses the recent retirement announcement by Lonnie Bunch III, the head of the Smithsonian museums. Issues implicated include cultural heritage center curation and leadership, intellectual freedom, access to information, the historical record, memory, preservation, truth, and accuracy of information, among others.]
"Lonnie Bunch, a historian who made history as the Smithsonian Institution’s first African American secretary, became a recurring target as President Donald Trump intensified his attacks on how America tells the story of race, slavery and inequality.
Bunch’s resignation this week should concern anyone who cares about American history, the truth and intellectual freedom.
But what is happening now goes beyond an attempt to erase Black history. It is an effort to cancel Black thought. The phrase “cancel culture” has been weaponized for years by conservatives who argue that dissenting viewpoints are being silenced. Yet, what is happening when Black voices that challenge comforting myths about America are pushed aside? This is not simply a debate about museum exhibits. It is a battle over who gets to define America’s story.
Trump wants to shape how Americans understand their past. The Smithsonian became a battleground in that effort."
