April 29, 2025 Story by: Publisher
A coalition of leading civil rights organizations has issued a unified affirmation in defense of Black history, texts, and art, responding to a series of executive actions by the Trump administration that target institutions and initiatives dedicated to preserving and teaching the contributions of Black Americans.
The coalition, which includes notable groups such as the African American Policy Forum, National Urban League, National Council of Negro Women, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, National Action Network, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Legal Defense Fund (LDF), and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, is raising alarms over recent measures directed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Department of Education, and diversity efforts across the federal government.
“These actions represent an attempt at mass erasure of Black history and culture—a move the organizations warn is a dangerous step toward undermining democracy itself,” the coalition said in a statement. “By erasing the historical record and diminishing sites of Black memory, the country endangers its ability to understand both its past and the ongoing challenges to equality.”
In their affirmation, the coalition underscored the essential role Black history plays in the nation’s story: “Racial inequality remains real; if we are not able to understand it, tell its history, and honor those who have risked everything to solve it, then we lose our capacity to carry the legacy, brilliance, and resilience of these freedom fighters in our lives and to future generations. Democracy is a constant struggle, and the erasure of our history prevents us from fighting to preserve it.”
Their statement launches the #HandsOffOurHistory / Freedom To Learn National Week of Action, culminating on May 3 with a demonstration in Washington, D.C., to defend the National Museum of African American History and Culture—a centerpiece of the Smithsonian system and a symbol of the importance of Black history within America’s collective memory. Supporters nationwide are encouraged to participate by visiting local museums and libraries, exploring collections that celebrate Black achievements, and sharing their experiences online with the hashtag #HandsOffOurHistory.
Janai Nelson, President and Director-Counsel of the Legal Defense Fund reaffirmed, “Black history is American history, and the Legal Defense Fund is proud to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to ensuring our past is neither forgotten nor erased. As the nation’s premier legal institution fighting for racial justice, LDF will always work to thwart any attempt to rewrite our past or misinterpret our laws in ways that diminish access to hard-won rights and freedoms.”
More information about the week’s actions—both online and in-person—can be found at www.freedomtolearn.net.
The coalition’s full affirmation concludes: “The effort to erase Black voices, ideas, art, and history is the effort to erase Black lives. Without Black history, we abandon our capacity to accurately assess the state of the republic or imagine a stronger one.”
As federal actions threaten to undermine cultural institutions and educational efforts, civil rights organizations vow to continue their fight, calling on all Americans to join in protecting the sites, stories, and memories that uphold the full truth of the nation’s history.
Source: LDF
