We call on federal officials and the National Park Service to immediately restore and protect the President’s House / Slavery Memorial in Philadelphia, a nationally significant historic site that tells the truth about enslavement and the role enslaved Africans played in building the United States.

The President’s House memorial stands on ground where George and Martha Washington lived—and where enslaved African descendants were held in bondage while helping sustain the early American presidency. The memorial exists to tell the full American story: one that includes freedom and enslavement.

Recent actions to remove or dismantle essential interpretive panels from this site represent an alarming act of historical erasure.

History cannot be erased.

The monument that highlighted the lives and labor of the enslaved is part of American history. Their forced labor helped build this country, and their stories deserve to be told truthfully, fully, and permanently.

Efforts to “restore truth” must not result in the removal of uncomfortable truths. Enslavement is an inseparable part of America’s history, and any attempt to minimize or obscure that reality undermines public education, historical integrity, and our collective responsibility to remember.

This is not a partisan issue. It is a matter of truth, accountability, and respect for the lives of those whose contributions were long denied and ignored.

The truth matters. Our history matters.

We will not allow erasure to stand.

Stand for the truth.
Tell the whole truth.
Restore our history.