Tell The Truth Restore Our History
Tell The
Ruth Restore Our History
Junious Ricardo Stanton
When you
read Donald Trump’s March 27, 2025 deceitful and misnomered Executive Order # 14253,
Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-202500408/pdf/DCPD-202500408.pdf
you discover Trump maliciously targeted the Presidents House Slavery Memorial located
a Sixth and Market Streets in Philadelphia and the Smithsonian African-American
Museum in Washington D.C. for shuttering. Trump’s Executive Order spells it out
based upon a disingenuous prism with the express intent of obliterating and
erasing the truth. The Executive Order is a shameful attempt to erase the factual
documentation of American history and foster ignorance about George Washington
and how deeply the institution of slavery was embroidered into the fabric of
the American tapestry.
On Thursday
January 22, 2026 Trump’s order was executed by National Parks Service employees
who dismantled and removed educational panels throughout the site which depicted
the truth about George Washington (a documented enslaver) who kept nine persons
of African descent in bondage and servitude while he resided in the Robert
Morris Mansion in Philadelphia during his tenure as the first President of the
United States.
The City of
Philadelphia immediately filed a lawsuit claiming the National Parks Service
violated aspects of the Administrative Procedure Act by unilaterally
dismantling the exhibit without conferring with the city. The legal team from Avenging
the Ancestors Coalition and the Presidents House Slavery Memorial
Alliance headed by University of Pennsylvania law school, Professor Cara
McClellan filed an Amicus brief in support of the City’s lawsuit claiming the
government’s action created irreparable harm to both the city and the
community.
Their brief asserted the exhibit’s
dismantling directly harmed the local tourism industry and the community at
large, from an historical, cultural, educational and economic standpoint. They
argued Trump’s actions were a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal
Protection clause. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania
Senate Democrats also joined the lawsuit as friends of the court and expressed
their unequivocal support of the City’s lawsuit.
As part of a
comprehensive response to Trump’s spiteful attempts to whitewash American
history the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition and the broader based President’s
House Slavery Memorial Alliance’s legal team presented their case during a
hearing at the Federal Courthouse on Friday January 30th.
Federal Judge Cynthia M. Rufe heard
oral arguments and insisted she wanted to inspect the removed panels and the
site before rendering her ruling on the motions. On Monday February 2 Judge
Rufe inspected the panels and visited the site where she was given a tour by
Mijuel K. Johnson a local activist and member of The Black Journey an organization
that provides walking tours of the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia. The
Judge said her decision will be rendered shortly, promising it would not drag
on into the Spring or Summer.
When they
learned about Trump’s Executive Order, activist attorney Michael a founder of Avenging
the Ancestors Coalition stated ATAC and The Presidents House Slavery
Memorial Alliance headed by Roslyn McPherson initiated a coordinated
campaign to bring attention to Trump’s reprehensible action. ATAC announced its
latest initiative entitled Tell the Truth and Restore Our History. It is
an concentrated thirty-day campaign designed to galvanize public opinion and pressure
by enlisting support from media, elected officials, coordinated activism which
includes social media, letter writing campaigns, a children’s letter writing
campaign, an Online petition, a rally on February 10th at the Independence
Park Presidents House Slavery Exhibit at Sixth and Market Streets, broad based
inclusive faith based organizations, activist recruitment and engagement designed
to keep this issue in the forefront of
America’s consciousness. They will also create a video testimony to chronical
how important the site is to individuals, the region and the nation.
For more
information on Tell the Truth Restore Our History, contact the Avenging the
Ancestors Coalition at ATAC.Avengingtheancestors@gmail.com
or, https://www.phslavery.org/ To sign
the Online petition go to https://www.change.org/p/tell-the-truth-restore-the-president-s-house-slavery-memorial?
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posted by Junious Ricardo Stanton @ 7:05 AM
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