The Smithsonian Institution is under threat.

President Trump’s recent executive order hands control to Vice President JD Vance to purge "improper ideology" from Smithsonian museums, the National Zoo, and research programs.

This isn’t about balance. It’s about censorship and rewriting history.

The Smithsonian belongs to the people.

It is a place where history is preserved, where voices long silenced are finally heard, and where future generations can learn from the triumphs and mistakes of our past. From the National Museum of African American History and Culture to the Women’s History Museum in development, these institutions tell stories that have shaped America. Now, those stories are at risk of being erased, distorted, or politicized to conform to a single ideology.

This order also reinstates Confederate monuments while defunding exhibits that tell America’s full story. It replaces truth with propaganda, silencing history that doesn’t fit a certain political agenda.

We cannot let this happen.

Founded for "the increase and diffusion of knowledge," the Smithsonian must remain independent. Sign this petition to demand Congress protect it from political interference. 

Photo Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images