(PHILADELPHIA)— PEN America today condemned the ongoing removal of signs at national parks and historic sites by the Trump administration, the latest in Philadelphia about the connection between the founders and slavery. The writers and free expression organization said censorship of this kind amounts to the “blatant erasure of history” and represents an assault on the basic rights to read and learn.
“This blatant erasure of history and educational materials from a national historic site is an attack on our freedoms to read and learn,” said Kasey Meehan, director, Freedom to Read program at PEN America. “With this censorship, the Trump Administration is dictating an alarmingly narrow view of America’s history and identity. Much like public schools and public libraries, public parks ensure open access to information that is critical to a well-informed citizenry. This administration keeps showing their cards in its ongoing assault against the telling of history or celebration of diversity within schools, universities, press, and now, parks.”
The National Parks Service removed educational signage at the President’s House Site on Independence Mall in Philadelphia. The signs, part of an exhibit unveiled in 2021, provide information on the trans-Atlantic slave trade and details on the nine enslaved people who lived and traveled with George Washington and his family. The federal historic site is said to be the only one that commemorates the history of slavery in America.
The signs were removed following directives from President Trump’s Executive Order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” Other exhibits nationwide were censored under the same executive order. PEN America reported in August on the expansive review of Smithsonian exhibits, the removal of the “T” and “Q” from LGBTQ+ at the Stonewall National Monument in New York, and bans on “corrosive” books sold at shops at various national parks.
Philadelphia sued the Department of the Interior on Thursday, arguing for an injunction to restore the displays; the city’s lawsuit said the exhibit was removed “without notice,” a violation of Philadelphia’s agreements with the National Park Service, which “requires disputes to be resolved informally through communication, consultation … or other forms of non-binding alternative dispute resolution that are mutually acceptable to the parties.”
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, [email protected], 201-247-5057