Erasing Federal Records/Web Pages: End Trump’s Authoritarian Purge

The recent removal of historical content from federal websites, directed by the Trump administration, poses a grave threat to our democratic principles. Critical pages honoring groups such as the Navajo Code Talkers, Tuskegee Airmen, and LGBTQ Americans have been erased, including content on the Stonewall National Monument and tributes to transgender service members (Midland Reporter-Telegram, March 2025; Express News, March 2025; them.us, February 2025). These acts are not accidental—they are part of a coordinated effort to strip marginalized communities from our national narrative. Such actions mirror tactics of authoritarian regimes. Stalin’s Soviet Union systematically altered records to control public perception (The Institute of World Politics, April 2019). We now face a similar crisis as even LGBTQ history—integral to understanding American civil rights—is being erased from public websites (them.us, February 2025). This is not how a free society operates. Scholars warn that erasing history weakens our ability to learn from past mistakes and threatens the very foundation of democracy (Northern Illinois University Law Review, 2020). The American Historical Association calls this censorship a distortion that erases entire communities from public memory (AHA–OAH Joint Statement, March 2025). Whether conservative or progressive, all Americans should be outraged. I urge every level of government and every business engaged with public contracts to reject this assault on truth. Resist any directive to censor or erase historical records. Preserving a full and honest historical record is essential to safeguarding our republic and respecting all Americans, past and present.