On March 27th, 2025 the executive order for “Restoring the Truth and Sanity to American History” was signed. At first, I thought to post the text of the order in its entirety to let it speak for itself, but truthfully I don’t want to give it a platform, no matter how small and insignificant this one is. I encourage you to go and read it for yourself rather than take my word, or anyone else’s word, as the framework for what you believe. All I can offer are my thoughts which are filtered through the biases of my world view and upbringing, as are everyone’s.
This executive order reads as if written by someone who is personally offended that the truth of history shows that White males weren’t always the benevolent and righteous actors they want to think they were. They specifically call out two exhibits that discuss racial oppression and one that celebrates trans athletes. It reads as though the writer believes that those exhibits are direct personal attacks rather than the illustration of a perspective on history.
This idea that only one picture of history has space to exist is dangerous and disgusting. It is an attempt to deny the existence of other perspectives. Just because someone’s experience shows white males in a negative light does not mean it is invalid. Celebrating black history, or telling the truth of black history in America is in no way, shape, or form a bad thing.
I cannot overstate how repugnant and hateful it is to couch this history as insane lies. And from the Office of the President of the United States? This is just a green light for racists around the country to feel emboldened.
The United States is, and always has been, a work in progress. Part of what makes this country so great is the admission that we have gotten things wrong along the way, but we still endeavor to fix them. As a nation we strive to further broaden the definitions of freedom and liberty that the country was founded upon because we recognize that the men who originally framed it were imperfect. The constitution is framed as a living document for the express purpose of being able to change to meet the needs of an evolving society. Enacting change in an effort to further expand equality to all people is exactly what it means to be American.
History is not meant to make you comfortable and secure. It is there to serve as a record of what decisions led to what outcomes. This information should then be used to make course corrections or improvements to further an equality before the law for all people.
The reaction to history that makes us uncomfortable is not to try and erase it or eliminate those voices from society. The reaction is to understand why it makes us uncomfortable, what that says about us, and then enact change to better align with who we are as a person. Simply refusing to believe something, or claiming it’s revisionist because it hurts your feelings is as dangerous as it is unintelligent. If Black voices speaking about racism makes you uncomfortable you should be asking why that is the case.
No human is without mistakes. Many of the beliefs that would make us shy away from the truth of our nation were ingrained in us before we were capable of understanding ourselves. We have the freedom to choose to be better. To choose to deconstruct our biases. To choose to embrace the most American ideal of them all.
Progress.
— The People. Of, By, and For
The People. Of, By, and For 