Politiek · Smithsonian director · ArchiefCongress Grills Smithsonian Director Over Toolkit Calling Politeness 'White Supremacy'Geschreven 7 september 2026 om 21:22 UTCKijkenTranscript0:00A House Oversight Subcommittee hearing0:01today turned into a heated confrontation0:03over how the Smithsonian tells American0:05history. Republicans pressed the0:07director of the National Museum of0:09American history about a diversity0:10toolkit that listed politeness,0:12objectivity, and hard work as0:14characteristics of white supremacy0:15culture. The hearing was triggered by a0:17162-page0:19White House report released this month0:21accusing the Smithsonian of what it0:23called institutional capture by radical0:25activist ideology. The hearing, titled0:28Rewriting American History, examining0:30the Smithsonian's efforts to reshape the0:32past, featured Dr. Anthea Hartig,0:34director of the National Museum of0:36American History since 2019. Republicans0:39on the subcommittee pressed her on a0:40mass action toolkit graphic that listed0:42elements of what it called white0:44dominant culture. Texas Republican0:46Brandon Gill put the question directly0:47to Director Hartig on the stand during0:49the hearing.0:52Hartig answered firmly. She said she was0:54not familiar with the specific passage0:56and noted the toolkit was not developed0:58by her museum. The document in question1:00was originally published in July 2020 by1:02the Smithsonian's National Museum of1:04African American History and Culture as1:06part of its Talking About Race Online1:07Portal. The graphic was titled Aspects1:10and Assumptions of Whiteness and White1:11Culture, and it was removed after public1:13backlash later that same year. The1:15graphic listed being polite, objective1:18thinking, and hard work as1:19characteristics of white dominant1:21culture. The listing of these traits1:23inside a federally funded institution,1:25Republicans argued, amounted to an1:26ideological agenda embedded in1:28taxpayer-supported programming.1:35Democrats on the panel defended Hartig,1:38calling the hearing a political attack.1:40Maryland Democrat Kweisi Mfume and Texas1:43Democrat Jasmine Crockett both argued1:45the subcommittee was targeting a career1:47museum professional over a document her1:48office did not create and that had1:50already been taken down years ago. For1:52her part, Hartig told the committee the1:54Smithsonian does not take sides in1:56America's political debates. The hearing1:58ended with no formal action, but House2:00Republicans signaled they are not done2:02scrutinizing the institution's cultural2:03programming.Lees het artikelTijdlijn van het verhaalHeyDexDe korte video ↗
