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File #: 250776    Version: 0 Name:
Type: Resolution Status: IN COUNCIL - FINAL PASSAGE
File created: 9/18/2025 In control: CITY COUNCIL
On agenda: Final action:
Title: Condemning President Donald Trump's recent efforts to whitewash, suppress, and rewrite American history by removing slavery-related content from national parks - including an exhibit at Independence National Historical Park honoring the nine individuals enslaved by President George Washington, developed by the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition - thereby attempting to erase Black history from the national narrative.
Sponsors: Council President Johnson, Councilmember Gilmore Richardson, Councilmember Phillips, Councilmember Gauthier, Councilmember Jones, Councilmember Landau, Councilmember Young, Councilmember Brooks, Councilmember Harrity, Councilmember O'Rourke, Councilmember Driscoll, Councilmember Squilla, Councilmember Bass, Councilmember Ahmad
Indexes: CONDEMNATION
Title
Condemning President Donald Trump's recent efforts to whitewash, suppress, and rewrite American history by removing slavery-related content from national parks - including an exhibit at Independence National Historical Park honoring the nine individuals enslaved by President George Washington, developed by the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition - thereby attempting to erase Black history from the national narrative.

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WHEREAS, Black history is an essential and inseparable part of American history; and

WHEREAS, President Donald Trump has repeatedly taken actions to dismantle decades of efforts to promote equity and historical truth, including his Executive Orders ending DEI initiatives, restricting gender-affirming healthcare, and eroding basic fundamental civil rights protections; and

WHEREAS, President Trump recently issued an order directing the removal of factual materials now labeled as "corrosive ideology" that criticizes historic American figures, a directive that has been interpreted to include the elimination of slavery-related content from national parks; and

WHEREAS, This action will directly impact Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park, which features an exhibit honoring the nine individuals enslaved by President George Washington; and

WHEREAS, Independence National Historical Park's exhibit was developed through the tireless advocacy of the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition; and

WHEREAS, The Avenging the Ancestors Coalition was founded by Mr. Michaeel Coard, Esquire, and is a broad-based organization of African American historians, attorneys, concerned citizens, elected officials, religious leaders, media personalities, community activists, and registered voters committed to ensuring the contributions of African Americans to American society don't get ignored; and

WHEREAS, The inclusion of this history at national sites ensures a fuller, more honest narrative of our nation, and acknowledges the contributions and sacri...

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