The Nationwide Parks Service has restored the unique Harriet Tubman materials featured on a webpage concerning the Underground Railroad after garnering outrage over its elimination.
In February, a photograph and a quote from of the abolitionist chief was faraway from the highest of a web page titled “What Is the Underground Railroad?”
The content material was changed with a collage of Underground Railroad stamps from the U.S. Postal Service that spotlight “Black/White Cooperation” in transporting escaped slaves to freedom within the north.
The positioning additionally eliminated references to the Fugitive Slave Act and a mural of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, one of many first Black regiments to serve within the Civil Battle.
“Changes to the Underground Railroad page on the National Park Service’s website were made without approval from NPS leadership nor department leadership,” a spokesperson mentioned in an announcement on Monday.
The division didn’t say who ordered the adjustments, however President Trump has made a number of govt orders concentrating on variety, fairness and inclusion initiatives throughout authorities companies.
The adjustments to the Underground Railroad web page have been initially detailed in a Washington Submit expose on Sunday and instantly drew widespread criticism.
Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., referred to as the elimination “an attack on truth, an attempt to erase history that would help us improve society today, a refusal to be uncomfortable and engaged in changing harmful policies and practices.”
Final month, the Division of Protection was equally criticized after eradicating content material about Jackie Robinson and different Black service members’ time within the Military, in addition to details about the Navajo Code Talkers’ contributions in World Battle II. That materials was additionally restored after pushback.
