Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick Statement on the Smithsonian’s Purging of Black Artifacts

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) issued the following statement on reports that the Administration has purged exhibit items at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. 

“This purge is nothing short of betrayal and is part of a dangerous, concerted effort to suppress the legacy of Black history. It is appalling that anyone would attempt to expunge the legacy of the courageous Greensboro Four. Had those students not launched a sit-in at that Woolworth’s whites-only counter in 1960, the racist policies of the Jim Crow South would reverberate for eternity.”  

The beauty of our nation lies in how we’ve gotten to where we are today and the struggles that paved the way. Erasing our nation’s painful past will come at a cost for generations yet to come. 

“Black history is American history. It must be taught in full by the Smithsonian without a sugarcoated or incomplete narrative. For the sake of our nation — and for all those who paid with their lives advancing civil rights — these attacks must stop immediately.”