Front Burner Trump, the Smithsonian, and the battle over U.S. history
6 snips
Aug 28, 2025 
Bryan Stevenson, a renowned civil rights lawyer and author of 'Just Mercy,' discusses the contentious nature of American history, particularly how museums are targeted in the political landscape. He critiques Trump's efforts to reshape historical narratives, focusing on the importance of educational institutions like the Smithsonian. Stevenson emphasizes the significance of acknowledging the legacies of slavery and racial injustice as essential truths for healing. He calls for resilience against cultural attacks on history, urging the need to confront uncomfortable realities.
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Museum Balances Achievement And Suffering
- The National Museum of African American History and Culture fills a long-standing gap by highlighting Black achievement alongside oppression.
- Bryan Stevenson notes the museum emphasizes success as much as suffering, contradicting claims it only portrays America as 'horrible'.
Museums Fill Educational Gaps
- Museums and cultural institutions stepped in because schools avoided honest teaching about slavery, Indigenous dispossession, and Jim Crow.
- Stevenson argues federal-funded museums are vulnerable to political attacks for filling educational gaps.
Narrative Power Outlived The Civil War
- The real evil of slavery was the narrative created to justify it: racial hierarchy and dehumanization.
- Stevenson says the South 'won the narrative war' even after military defeat, shaping a century of injustice.
