The National Park Service (NPS) restored its webpage about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad early Tuesday morning. The Washington Post reported the content removal on Sunday, comparing the edited version with images of the original version.
The edited webpage had taken out images of Tubman, any mention of slavery, and descriptions of the realities of those who lived through it. The public backlash following the revelation of those edits was swift from the public and other civil rights figures.
Rev. Martin Luther King Jur’s daughter Bernice King, called the changes “an attack on truth, an attempt to erase history that would help us improve society today, a refusal to be uncomfortable” on her Instagram.
According to AP News, NPS spokeswoman Rachel Pawlitz confirmed the changes were true but denied the effort to downplay slavery. Additionally, Pawlitz claimed that the changes were made without approval from NPS or Department leadership in a Monday email.
While it is unclear who approved these changes, many have suspected that it could be due to the Trump administration’s campaign against DEI in the federal government and schools.
The Harriet Tubman webpage wasn’t the only one that has seen controversial changes in the past few weeks. The Pentagon’s webpages the Navajo Code Talkers’ and baseball legend Jackie Robinson’s military career were briefly deleted before being restored after swift public backlash.
