Some photos tell an entire history. “The Scourged Back” is one of them: a haunting image of Gordon, a man who escaped slavery, his whipped back a map of suffering and survival. In his scars I see the inhumanity of slavery, the resilience of Black America, and the enduring hope for a better future.
President Trump has now ordered Gordon’s history removed, targeting the Smithsonian and national parks to erase that photo and what it represents. This is our new reality.
Troops are deployed in cities once known as Black cultural centers. Confederate statues are resurrected. Black congressional districts are being dismantled. Books on diversity are banned. Programs helping students of color access higher education are stripped of funding.
My right to exist, and to inhabit my history, is under attack. I would not be who I am without that history, and neither would America. My father came from enslaved sharecroppers, graduated high school at 15, entered Prairie View A&M at 16, and became the youngest Black general of his time.
His story, like thousands of others, shaped the conscience of Black America. But those stories are not welcome in Trump’s America. We are witnessing Jim Crow 2.0. The attack on the Smithsonian is symbolic, but the intent is much broader: to push people of color out of public life, out of education, and out of democracy itself.
I was there for the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It was a moment of celebration, but also a reminder of how much has been stolen. That museum was meant to mark the end of historical erasure, but now, a reversal is underway.
The administration’s actions threaten to reinstate a two-tier education system, a modern “separate but equal.” We cannot let that happen.
President Trump’s effort to sanitize history is an assault on truth. His review of the Smithsonian demands “uplifting” narratives and the removal of anything deemed “divisive.” This isn’t about accuracy; it’s about silencing Black, Indigenous, and Latino voices.
It’s part of a larger strategy: dismantling public education, stifling diversity of thought, and inviting states to follow suit. Waivers from the Department of Education are being used to hide the damage done by removing inclusive content from classrooms.
Students of color are being told their histories don’t matter. They are not just denied equal education, they’re being taught lies. We celebrate the Boston Tea Party as a righteous fight for freedom, yet we are forbidden to teach Nat Turner’s rebellion as the same. That hypocrisy is the heart of Jim Crow 2.0.
America cannot call itself a shining city upon a hill while it strips away educational access, rights, and truth at home. The administration’s actions threaten to reinstate a two-tier education system, a modern “separate but equal.” We cannot let that happen.
This moment is a civil rights fight. We must demand public investment in schools, inclusive curriculum, and environments that reflect every student. And we must resist every attempt to erase history.
I don’t welcome the fight ahead. But I am ready for it. History has already warned us: If we ignore the signs, the damage will last for generations.
Jim Crow 2.0 is here. We must stop it, now.
This piece was originally published in Word in Black. It has been edited for style and length, but retains original language. Fore more information, visit www.wordinblack.com.