War on Our Historical Memory? Trump orders giftshops purge DEI
America’s national parks were conceived as civic institutions charged with preserving memory, complexity, and the layered inheritance of national experience. Their gift shops and bookstores have long served as interpretive extensions of that mission, translating history into accessible, tangible knowledge. The Trump administration’s directive disrupts this educational ecosystem while claiming to protect ideological balance. Officials invoke neutrality, yet neutrality here functions as a rhetorical veil rather than a governing principle. Midway through this redefinition stands Trump orders giftshops purge DEI, which stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, a phrase that exposes intention beneath administrative restraint. By construing diversity as ideological…