Two lenders to the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) reported that their objects were removed from the museum’s galleries earlier than expected, raising concerns about the influence of President Trump’s recent executive order targeting “anti-American content” in Smithsonian museums. Amos C. Brown, a civil rights activist and pastor, lent a 1880 book on Black history and his father’s Bible, which Martin Luther King Jr. carried during protests; the museum cited the loan’s May expiration as the reason for removal. Liz Brazelton, who lent the diary of her great-great-grandfather—a lawyer who worked on behalf of Solomon Northup—said the diary was returned in March, six months before a 10-year loan agreement was set to end in September, with the museum citing an “internal gallery rotation schedule.” At least 32 objects have reportedly been removed, though the museum denied planned removals.
The removals matter because they suggest that political pressure from the Trump administration may be affecting curatorial decisions at a major national museum dedicated to African American history. The lenders’ accounts, combined with the resignation of NMAAHC director Kevin Young in April, point to potential shifts in institutional policy amid a broader controversy over the Smithsonian’s content. This incident highlights ongoing tensions between cultural institutions and government oversight, raising questions about the independence of museums in presenting historically accurate narratives about race and slavery.