A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to restore sites changed under an calling for the nation鈥檚 museums, parks and landmarks to not display elements that 鈥渋nappropriately disparage Americans past or living.鈥�
The preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Massachusetts also orders a pause on any additional changes, writing that the plaintiffs have shown that these efforts are meant 鈥渢o rewrite the Nation鈥檚 history with a white-out pen.鈥�
鈥淗istory cannot be faithfully told while excluding the experiences of communities whose contributions, struggles, and achievements form an important part of our Nation鈥檚 story,鈥� the judge wrote.
The Trump administration must also provide a status report every week describing the progress they鈥檝e made with these changes, the judge wrote.
鈥淯nder the guise of promoting American dignity, this Administration seeks to share a limited history by ordering the removal of all signs, displays, and interpretive exhibits at National Parks that do not align with its preferred narrative, thereby telling half-truths,鈥� Kelley wrote.
The order comes in response to a filed by conservation and historical organizations over National Park Service policies that the groups say have forced park service staff to remove or censor dozens of exhibits that share factually accurate and relevant U.S. history and scientific knowledge, including about slavery and climate change.
Many of the changes were at Philadelphia鈥檚 , where the administration removed exhibits on the lives of nine people enslaved at the site in the 1790s under George Washington, the first U.S. president. Other changes included removing a sign at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Arizona describing basalt bubbles because it had an image of a visitor holding a Pride flag while films on labor history were removed from the Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts.
President Donald Trump signed the 鈥渞estoring truth and sanity to American history鈥� at the nation鈥檚 museums, parks and landmarks last year. later directed removal of 鈥渋mproper partisan ideology鈥� from museums, monuments, landmarks and other public exhibits under federal control.
An email seeking comment from the Interior Department was sent Saturday.
Alan Spears, senior director for cultural resources for the National Parks Conservation Association, one of the organizations that brought the lawsuit, said the ruling will help protect national parks from the administration’s effort 鈥渢o erase history and science at these one-of-a-kind places.鈥�
鈥淣ational parks belong to the American people and censorship of any kind goes against the values these places represent,鈥� he said.
Bill Wade, executive director for the Association of National Park Rangers, another organization that brought the lawsuit, said this is especially good news for National Parks employees who 鈥渉ave prided themselves for being able to provide truthful, accurate and unbiased information.”
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