Update Tuesday, April 8: Recent developments have emerged regarding the National Park Service’s (NPS) handling of historical narratives related to prominent Black figures.
Following public backlash, the NPS has restored the original content on its Underground Railroad webpage, reinstating references to Harriet Tubman and detailed accounts of slavery that had been previously removed without proper authorization. NPS spokeswoman Rachel Pawlitz stated that the unauthorized changes were made without approval from NPS or Department leadership, leading to an immediate restoration of the original content.
“Changes to the Underground Railroad page on the National Park Service’s website were made without approval from NPS leadership nor Department leadership. The webpage was immediately restored to its original content,” a spokesperson told USA Today.
This incident is part of a broader pattern of federal agencies altering or removing content related to significant Black historical figures. For instance, the Department of Defense recently removed a webpage detailing Jackie Robinson’s military service, only to restore it after public outcry. The Pentagon acknowledged that in efforts to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) content, some webpages were mistakenly removed due to the search terms used in the process.
Similarly, the U.S. Air Force faced criticism for removing training videos featuring the Tuskegee Airmen and Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) from its curriculum. These actions were taken to comply with executive orders aimed at dismantling DEI initiatives, leading to concerns about the erasure of vital historical narratives.
These instances reflect a troubling trend of diminishing the visibility of Black contributions in American history. While agencies have cited compliance with executive orders as the rationale, the pattern of removal and subsequent restoration following public backlash raises questions about the commitment to preserving and accurately representing the nation’s diverse history.
Previous story: The Trump administration’s campaign to minimize the contributions of Black heroes, if not erase them altogether, has now come for Harriet Tubman.
An image and quote from the woman who helped free 70 enslaved Africans has been removed from a National Parks Service webpage about the Underground Railroad, the network of abolitionists who mapped secret routes and secured safe houses along the way to free enslaved Blacks.
The decision was a peculiar one, as Tubman, known as “Moses,” was the railroad’s most prominent “conductor.” But it shouldn’t be a big surprise, considering the White House’s ongoing crusade against diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which has extended to basic Black history.
Back in January, after Trump returned to power, the Department of Defense sent a directive forbidding staffers from participating in any celebration of Black History Month.
Books chronicling Jackie Robinson’s achievements have been removed from government websites. The contributions of civil rights icon and World War II veteran Medger Evers are no longer highlighted at Arlington National Cemetery.
Now, it’s Tubman’s turn to be marginalized. The parks service website removed Tubman’s portrait in favor of a collage of five U.S. Postal Service stamps that depict Black and white abolitionist figures, including Tubman, who were involved in helping to bring escaped enslaved people to the north, with an emphasis now placed on “Black/White Cooperation” instead of the Black people empowered to take action to fight for their freedom.
“These acts of self-emancipation labeled slaves as “fugitives,” “escapees,” or “runaways,” but in retrospect “freedom seeker ” is a more accurate description,” read the original entry. It continued, “Many freedom seekers began their journey unaided and many completed their self-emancipation without assistance, but each subsequent decade in which slavery was legal in the United States, there was an increase in active efforts to assist escape.”
The Underground Railroad, the site now says, “bridged the divides of race.”
Reaction online ranged from outrage to despair.
“Shameful,” wrote one X user. “In 6 months they’re gonna say Harriet Tubman was a white woman,” wrote someone who may successfully predict the future.
“This is absolutely disgusting,” added another. “They’ve already got several states trying to rename it “forced relocation” instead of slavery, also. What is wrong with these politicians? How lost can one’s mind actually get?”
The Washington Post first reported on the changes while highlighting other examples of government-owned webpages recasting the nation’s troubled history involving matters of race. References to slavery and Jim Crow segregation have been diminished if not erased.
High-ranking political appointees at the Interior Department, which manages the Park Service, have directed staff to identify webpages that the administration might take issue with, according to anonymous sources who spoke to the Post.
Edits to Park Service webpages include:
*Taking down a page describing “the life of Benjamin Franklin and his relationship with slavery.” As of March 1, the page, which included lesson plans for teachers, now shows a message: “This page is currently being worked on. Please check back later.”
*Removing a mention that Declaration of Independence signer Thomas Stone owned enslaved people from a number of pages for the Stone National Historic site in Southern Maryland. A reference on the site to “enslaved African Americans” in nearby areas was also changed to “enslaved workers.”
*Deleting of a section of a Minute Man National Historical Park webpage that talked about how Black soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War were not recognized for their efforts. That passage said in part that “systemic racism and historical bias have erased or buried many records of Black and Indigenous people who played a prominent role in the founding of the United States.”
*Removing mentions of the struggle for “equality” on a webpage about the Niagara Movement, founded by African American civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois.
