Zoe Sottile in CNN:
A large image of and a quote from Harriet Tubman have been removed from a National Park Service webpage about the Underground Railroad, following several prominent changes to government websites under the Trump administration. A comparison on the Wayback Machine between the webpage on January 21 and March 19 shows that the large image of Tubman – the railroad’s most famous “conductor,” lauded for helping scores of people escape slavery – has been swapped with a series of five commemorative stamps showing Tubman alongside William Still, Catherine Coffin, Thomas Garrett and Frederick Douglass. All five aided enslaved people seeking freedom. The stamps tout “Black/White” cooperation. A quote from Tubman about her experience coordinating the clandestine network for slaves seeking freedom also no longer appears on the NPS page.
…The past few months have also seen other controversial changes to government websites as the Trump administration enacts a campaign to eliminate DEI, or diversity, equity, and inclusion. The removal of the words “transgender” and “queer” from a National Parks Service webpage about Stonewall Monument in New York City triggered protests in February.
More here. (Note: Throughout February, at least one post will be devoted to Black History Month: A century of Black History Commemorations)
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