Actually, Slavery Was Very Bad
a day ago
- #Smithsonian
- #Trump
- #slavery
- President Donald Trump criticizes the Smithsonian Institution for its portrayal of Black history, calling it 'WOKE' and 'OUT OF CONTROL.'
- Trump claims the Smithsonian focuses too much on the horrors of slavery and the struggles of marginalized groups, suggesting it undermines American exceptionalism.
- Lonnie Bunch, the first Black secretary of the Smithsonian, has resisted efforts to align the institution with Trump's MAGA vision of history.
- Trump's comments on slavery are particularly unsettling given his position and the historical context of slavery's brutality in the U.S.
- First-person accounts from formerly enslaved individuals, such as Olaudah Equiano and Henry Bibb, detail the extreme suffering endured during slavery.
- Enslaved people faced horrific conditions, including family separations, physical abuse, sexual violence, and psychological terror.
- The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) presents an unflinching look at slavery's evils while also celebrating Black cultural contributions.
- Trump's administration has been marked by racial antagonism, with policies and rhetoric that many view as deeply racist.
- Historians and activists like Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Ida B. Wells documented racial injustices to ensure future generations remember and learn from them.
- The article argues that acknowledging and learning from the painful parts of American history is essential for progress and reconciliation.