National parks are supposed to be places where all Americans feel welcome — and where our country’s full, complex history can be explored, remembered, and honored. But now, that mission is under threat.

The Trump administration has ordered national parks to purge gift shops and bookstores of merchandise promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

The Interior Department’s directive is vague, sweeping, and chilling: books, T-shirts, magnets, even pens that “fail to reflect neutrality” could be pulled from shelves. What does that mean in practice? Educational materials about civil rights, Native American history, LGBTQ+ park travelers, and women’s equality may now be targeted for removal.

Vendors and park employees say they’re already seeing items disappear — including stickers showing LGBTQ+ inclusivity, books about Frederick Douglass, and materials related to Juneteenth and the Civil Rights Movement. At the same time, the Park Service revoked free admission on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth while adding a free day for Trump’s birthday.

This isn’t neutrality — it’s erasure.

National parks belong to everyone, and so should the stories they tell. That includes the triumphs and the truths — the painful chapters, the freedom struggles, the trailblazers who made change, and the communities still fighting to be seen.

We call on the Department of the Interior, National Park Service leadership, and members of Congress to:

• Immediately halt implementation of the gift shop purge order
• Protect inclusive educational materials that reflect the full history of the U.S.
• Ensure vendors and park staff are not punished for offering DEI-related items
• Restore MLK Day and Juneteenth as free national park entry days.

Censorship does not serve park visitors — it silences them. Add your name to demand that our parks continue to tell the full American story.

Photo: AP