All recognitions and acknowledgements of African people in the United States and world history have come under vicious attack by the White House under President Donald Trump.

Both Trump and the MAGA-dominated House of Representatives and Senate have decried any policy efforts aimed at Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) within public and private institutions based in the U.S.

Moreover, the character of historical, social scientific and cultural studies has become a major cause of concern on the part of the Trump administration and its constituency. The Smithsonian Museums of Art, Women’s and African American History have been deliberately slandered by the administration claiming that the exhibits and displays in these institutions foster divisions within U.S. society.

With specific reference to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, its director, Kevin Young, has been on a leave of absence since mid-March. Whether his absence is related to the hostile atmosphere created by the administration is not clear at the time of this writing. However, in light of the massive layoffs and resignations among federal employees, it would not be surprising that the situation at the NMAAHC is equally impacted by the hostility towards government workers.

Young, an acclaimed poet, essayist and author of 16 books, previously worked at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture as part of the New York Public Library (NYPL) system. He has served in the role of director of the National African American Museum at the Smithsonian since 2021. This museum is the largest in its field even surpassing the Detroit-based Dr. Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (CHWMAAH).

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In one of his many executive orders, Trump on March 27, took specific aim at the Smithsonian Institution saying of the museums that:

“Once widely respected as a symbol of American excellence and a global icon of cultural achievement, the Smithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology.  This shift has promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.  For example, the Smithsonian American Art Museum today features ‘The Shape of Power:  Stories of Race and American Sculpture,’ an exhibit representing that ‘[s]ocieties including the United States have used race to establish and maintain systems of power, privilege, and disenfranchisement.’  The exhibit further claims that ‘sculpture has been a powerful tool in promoting scientific racism’ and promotes the view that race is not a biological reality but a social construct, stating ‘Race is a human invention.’” 

Despite this distorted right-wing view of U.S. historiography and cultural studies, the reality is that the country and its institutions have their origins in forced removals, genocide, enslavement, gender discrimination, national oppression and class exploitation. There is no way to rationally ignore the actual circumstances under which the U.S. was founded and expanded between the 17th and 20th centuries.

The U.S. became the leading imperialist power in the world due to its historical legacy of the mass extermination of the Indigenous people and the importation and enslavement of Africans for more than two-and-one-half centuries. Numerous studies have traced the correlation between African enslavement and the rise of industrial capitalism.

On the African continent where the enslaved were kidnapped and exported, the important natural resources remain essential to the world capitalist system. There are large-scale deposits of critical minerals and strategic metals in Africa which continue to be extracted and exploited to the benefit of imperialism.

To mention these facets of U.S. and world history generates opprobrium among the MAGA grouping. They are in denial over the institutional racist nature of the U.S. and committed to a return to legalize segregation, sexual discrimination and the gross exploitation of workers absent of labor unions. Another recent executive order is designed to eliminate collective bargaining rights for federal workers. Therefore, racism and the super-exploitation of labor are inextricably linked.

In reference to the same March 27 executive order, it says of the African American Museum:

“The National Museum of African American History and Culture has proclaimed that ‘hard work,’ ‘individualism,’ and ‘the nuclear family’ are aspects of ‘White culture.’  The forthcoming Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum plans on celebrating the exploits of male athletes participating in women’s sports.  These are just a few examples. It is the policy of my Administration to restore Federal sites dedicated to history, including parks and museums, to solemn and uplifting public monuments that remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union, and unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity, and human flourishing.  Museums in our Nation’s capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history.”

Such a statement from the White House is a complete insult to the history of the African American people who were brought to the U.S. with full-time unpaid jobs related to agricultural production, construction and other forms of manual labor. During the course of the centuries of enslavement and legalized segregation, African Americans fought for freedom, equality and self-determination.

The Trump administration and its followers are seeking to eliminate genocide, enslavement, economic exploitation, sexism and other forms of bigotry from the historical memory of the U.S. within the educational and social institutions. These efforts will undoubtedly fail due to their blatantly false narratives and absurd suppositions.

Attacks on the National African American Museum Are Not Isolated

Similar efforts by the Trump administration and its adherents are taking place throughout the U.S. and the world. In the early weeks of the Trump White House, they issued executive orders banning the commemoration of African American and Women’s History Months.

Universities and colleges have been subjected to cuts to their research grants from the federal government under the guise of combating antisemitism. Columbia University, a private Ivy League higher educational institution in New York City, has gone through two presidents over the last year.

In response to the severing of $400 million in government grants, the Columbia administration agreed to monitor Middle Eastern, African and Gender Studies for signs of antisemitism. It is important to note that the leadership of both capitalist-oriented parties in the U.S. have equated Palestine solidarity with antisemitism.

The genocidal onslaught against the Palestinian people since October 7, 2023, has generated tremendous solidarity efforts marked by mass demonstrations, boycotts and encampments on campuses. Rather than take heed to the call for the liberation of the Palestinian people, the previous administration of President Joe Biden and Donald Trump have targeted activists and their organizations for sanctions, prosecution and detention.

Just five years ago after the police and vigilante executions of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others, millions throughout the U.S. and the world rose up against institutionalized racist state violence. It was the advent of these mass mobilizations, boycotts and urban rebellions which created the political atmosphere for the electoral defeat of Trump when he sought a second term.

Nonetheless, the ascendancy of President Joe Biden did not result in any qualitative improvement of the status of African Americans. The much-promised legislation to curb police brutality and to guarantee the right to vote was never passed during the first two years of the Biden term even though the Democratic Party controlled the House and Senate between 2021-2023.

What is needed is an independent movement which fights for the eradication of institutional racism and class exploitation. The Trump administration and its unbridled racist and sexist rhetoric translated into policy changes represent an existential threat to the national oppressed and working class as a whole in the U.S.

The extent to which “democracy” exists in the U.S. has been very much contingent upon the popular struggles of African Americans and other oppressed peoples. Consequently, the movement to reverse the reactionary trends within the U.S. must include the oppressed peoples and workers united to build a society where racism and economic exploitation are eliminated.

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Abayomi Azikiwe is the editor of the Pan-African News Wire. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.  

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