Civil rights advocates are expressing alarm over new signs that have been posted at Manzanar National Historic Site and other locations operated by the National Park Service.
At the direction of the Department of the Interior, which oversees NPS, and under President Trump’s executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” the following sign was put up in mid-June at Manzanar, where some 10,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II. It reads:
“Manzanar National Historic Site belongs to the American people, and the National Park Service wants your feedback. Please let us know if you have identified (1) any areas that need repair; (2) any services that need improvement; or (3) any signs or other information that are negative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes and other natural features.
“To make a submission, please visit go.nps.gov/eo14253 or scan QR code.”
The executive order directs Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum “to ensure that all public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties within the Department of the Interior’s jurisdiction do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times), and instead focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.”
The secretary is also instructed to “determine whether, since Jan. 1, 2020, public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties within the Department of the Interior’s jurisdiction have been removed or changed to perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history, inappropriately minimize the value of certain historical events or figures, or include any other improper partisan ideology” — an apparent reference to the removal of Confederate leaders’ names in the South, among others.
This order also applies to the Smithsonian Institution, which presented an exhibition titled “A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution” from 1987 to 2004.
In addition to former concentration camp sites, the NPS oversees sites related to slavery and segregation, massacres of Native Americans, the Stonewall riots, and other historical incidents related to civil rights.
The Japanese American National Museum said of the directives, “Collectively, they form part of the administration’s broader, ongoing campaign to dismantle foundational principles of diversity and democracy, suppress historical narratives that challenge their preferred version of events, and erase the contributions of people of color, women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and other marginalized communities from the American story.”
“JANM is deeply disturbed by this new directive, especially at historical sites like Manzanar and Minidoka where Japanese Americans were unjustly incarcerated during World War II,” said Ann Burroughs, president and CEO of JANM. “The museum reiterates that the widespread dismantling of federal agencies that support our work and the attempts at the wholesale erasure of history will not help us achieve a more just America.
“The implications stretch far beyond America’s historical sites and parks, which is why we must continue to challenge revisionist history and other threats to democracy immediately. As JANM has said before, history does not yield to censorship or political ideologies. It demands honest, transparent conversations and a commitment to having an evolving understanding of how the past shapes the present and the future.
“JANM will continue to embody our mission, ensure that history is told fully and truthfully, and carry the lessons of history forward.”
Manzanar Committee’s Reaction
The Manzanar Committee, which organizes the annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, said in a statement, “The installation of signs to police ‘information that are negative about either past or living Americans’ at Manzanar and other national parks is an escalation of the Trump Administration’s attacks on our civil rights and communities of color. It is one more step in the campaign to reshape people’s understanding of the history of our country by stripping out the truth about how our nation was formed. Simply put, it is an effort to gut efforts by the national parks from telling the story of the forced removal of indigenous people, chattel slavery, Jim Crow and the unconstitutional incarceration of more than 125,000 persons of Japanese Ancestry during WWII.
“The Manzanar National Historic Site was created in 1992 after years of pilgrimages and lobbying led by survivors of America’s concentration camps. The exhibits and displays at Manzanar are extensive and are based on the actual experiences of the former inmates. The development of the entire site was guided by the congressionally mandated Manzanar Advisory Commission. The Manzanar Advisory Commission, chaired by Sue Kunitomi Embrey, included survivors from Manzanar as well as representatives of the Paiute and Shoshone people. The Manzanar National Historic Site is the product of those most qualified to tell the story: the Nikkei people who lived behind barbed wire and the indigenous people from the valley.
“It took decades for the full account of our story to come to light. Years of trauma, conscious suppression and manipulation obscured the true character of America’s concentration camps for many years. What has emerged has withstood the test of time. To suggest that a casual visitor can scan a QR code and challenge what took decades to develop is more than concerning.
“However, the effort to white-wash the history of Manzanar and the forced removal is insulting and it is dangerous. Not long ago our government developed an entire narrative about how our community was a threat to national security. That false narrative led to the forced removal and incarceration of more than 125,000 persons of Japanese ancestry. It is clear that America has not taken to heart the many lessons of our story.
“We will not allow our history to be erased by anyone. Our experience is too important because the forced removal of 125,000 persons of Japanese ancestry during WWII serves as a cautionary tale about the fragility of our democracy.”
The 56th annual Manzanar Pilgrimage was held on April 26. Speakers included Manzanar Committee Co-chair Bruce Embrey, who condemned the Trump Administration’s “efforts to erase our history,” including the removal of Japanese American, African American and Native American soldiers’ accomplishments from government websites.
Former Ranger’s Perspective
Alysa Lynch Broch, who worked for the NPS for 34 years, including 22 years at Manzanar, gave the following statement as an individual:
“A lot of people think of the national parks primarily as large, beautiful landscapes, but the majority of sites focus on history and culture. Many stories of those sites are hard to see and hear and even harder to understand. That’s why the sites exist. Facing history and learning from it is strength, not weakness.
“Despite all the twists and turns in history and society during my 22 years at Manzanar, I never imagined that the National Park Service would be required to change the way we speak of the past to suit current political narratives. History is not convenient. The whole point is that we look back, we learn, and try to avoid making the mistakes of the past …
“Until recent years, the National Park Service did annual surveys of visitor understanding and satisfaction. Year after year, visitors gave Manzanar top ratings.
“The new directive requiring sites to post signs with QR codes inviting visitors to report dissatisfaction with exhibits and signage is a cynical attempt to edit how the past is presented. The invitation to report ‘negative’ portrayals of ‘either past or living Americans’ comes from an administration which often appears in attack mode.
“I have faith that visitors want to learn from the past, not whitewash it. I hope they do comment and that the powers that be get the message. The only shame is in burying the truth and its lessons. One day, we will tell the stories of the QR code signs, and hopefully learn then too.
“Ultimately, the most important thing is to give voice to those no longer here to speak for themselves. Whether in diaries, letters, or recordings, their stories matter and will outlast all of us. At least, I hope so.”
Broch was promoted to a supervisory park ranger at Manzanar in 2001 and remained there until her retirement in 2023. She led the site’s efforts in planning and designing programs, projects, publications, exhibits and AV programs, outreach and engagement, visitor services, researching and preserving history, developing curriculum, and writing grants. During her tenure, Manzanar preserved 720 interviews with former incarcerees, camp staff, tribal and local residents, and others.
She worked on projects for other sites, including Tule Lake, Minidoka (Idaho), the USS Arizona Memorial, Topaz Museum (Utah), and the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial (Washington). She also helped to develop the Japanese American Confinement Sites (JACS) grant program.
Lynch and her husband Alan Broch continue to live in Independence near Manzanar. She volunteers for multiple interpretation and history projects, including Manzanar, and is a board member for the Owens Valley Unified School District.
“Truthful and Factual Accounting”
Alan Spears, National Parks Conservation Association senior director of cultural resources released the following response to the new directive:
“Across the country, our national parks protect vital American history, from the birthplaces of American presidents to the birthplaces of our democracy. Our parks tell stories from the civil rights movement, the Civil War, and beyond.
“For more than a century, National Park Service staff have worked tirelessly to provide park visitors with a truthful accounting of the people and places at the center of that history. That truthful and factual accounting of history should not change, regardless of which political party is in power.
“The president’s executive order could jeopardize the Park Service’s mission to protect and interpret American history. The order puts all Americans on notice that this administration intends to review Interior Department monuments, memorials and other sites for so-called partisan ideology.
“While the exact impacts of that review are not yet clear, we know that the administration has already erased LGBTQ history from web content and historic sites managed by the National Park Service. Every American who cares about our country’s history should be worried about what people, places, and themes disappear next.”
