Erasing History: A Quiet Purge of Civil Rights Symbols

By Darius Spearman (africanelements)

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The Disappearance of Dr. King’s Likeness

A significant symbol of American progress, a bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has been removed from the Oval Office. This quiet relocation occurred under the current administration. The bust now resides in the president’s private dining room (atlantablackstar.com). A White House official confirmed this move to Black Press USA. The bust was last seen in the Oval Office in April during Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s visit (atlantablackstar.com). No official explanation was provided for its removal.

For many, this action represents more than a simple redecoration. Critics view the removal as part of a larger effort by the administration to diminish symbols of racial and social progress (atlantablackstar.com). This includes those honoring Black and LGBTQ+ Americans. The presence of Dr. King’s bust in the Oval Office served as a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle for civil rights and the nation’s commitment to equality. Its absence now signals a troubling shift for many in the African American community and beyond.

Renaming Naval Vessels

The administration is also actively seeking to rename military ships that honor civil rights and LGBTQ+ icons. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk (military.com). Harvey Milk was a pioneering gay rights leader who was assassinated in 1978 (military.com). This decision was reportedly timed to coincide with Pride Month (military.com). The USNS Harvey Milk is part of the John Lewis-class of replenishment oilers (atlantablackstar.com). These ships are named after civil rights leaders and trailblazing public servants (atlantablackstar.com).

The scope of this renaming effort extends far beyond just one ship. More than half of the John Lewis-class ships are currently under review for renaming (atlantablackstar.com). This includes vessels honoring figures such as Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Harriet Tubman, Dolores Huerta, Cesar Chavez, Lucy Stone, and Medgar Evers (atlantablackstar.com). Only the USNS John Lewis, USNS Earl Warren, and USNS Sojourner Truth have remained untouched so far (atlantablackstar.com). Additionally, military officials have indicated that at least two older ships from the Lewis and Clark class are also being reviewed for potential name changes (atlantablackstar.com). These actions are seen by many as a direct assault on the recognition of diverse contributions to American history and the military.

Dismantling Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The administration is undertaking a broader campaign to dismantle programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has played a central role in this effort. He ordered a minimum 20% cut to the number of four-star positions across the military’s active component (axios.com). He also ordered the same cut for general officers in the National Guard (axios.com). This was done to cut “redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership” (axios.com).

Within days of his confirmation, Hegseth fired several high-ranking officers (atlantablackstar.com). This included Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, who was the second Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs (atlantablackstar.com). He also fired Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s first woman chief of naval operations (atlantablackstar.com). Hegseth also eliminated DEI-related coursework at service academies (atlantablackstar.com). He barred consideration of race or gender in admissions (atlantablackstar.com). Hegseth stated that “Selecting anyone but the best erodes lethality, our warfighting readiness, and undercuts the culture of excellence in our armed forces” (atlantablackstar.com). These actions signal a clear move away from efforts to foster diversity within the military, raising concerns about representation and equal opportunity.

The Purge of Digital Archives

The administration’s purge extends to digital archives, with historical articles and web features being removed or reviewed for deletion. In March, the Pentagon deleted a Department of Defense web feature on Jackie Robinson’s Army service (atlantablackstar.com). This story highlighted his stand against military segregation in 1944 (atlantablackstar.com). The page reappeared only after public backlash and pressure from Robinson’s family (atlantablackstar.com). The deletion of historical web pages was a direct result of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s memo (cnn.com). This memo ordered the removal of all diversity, equity, and inclusion-related content (cnn.com).

The criteria for deletion were broad, relying on keyword searches that inadvertently targeted a wide range of historical and awareness-related content (cnn.com). Military units were instructed to use keywords like “racism,” “ethnicity,” “history,” “first,” “LGBTQ,” “historic,” “accessibility,” “opportunity,” “belonging,” “justice,” “privilege,” “respect,” and “values” (cnn.com). This indicates these terms were associated with DEI content (cnn.com). The motivation appears to be a broad effort to eliminate content perceived as “DEI-related” (cnn.com). This occurred even if it included significant historical figures or important public health information (cnn.com). Articles about sexual assault, suicide prevention, cancer awareness, and Holocaust remembrance were removed (cnn.com). Some URLs subsequently included “DEI,” suggesting these topics were categorized as DEI-related (cnn.com).

Other historic web pages have also vanished. These include those honoring Navajo Code Talkers, Japanese-American WWII veterans, and Black Medal of Honor recipient Maj. Gen. Charles C. Rogers (atlantablackstar.com). Pages about civil rights martyr Medgar Evers were stripped from the Arlington National Cemetery website (atlantablackstar.com). Training videos about the Tuskegee Airmen and Women Air Force Service Pilots were eliminated from the Air Force curriculum in January (atlantablackstar.com). This occurred on the same day Hegseth was confirmed (atlantablackstar.com). A webpage about Ira Hayes, a Native American Iwo Jima flag-raiser, was also removed as part of the “DEI” purge (washingtonpost.com). Its URL was altered to include “dei,” further linking historical content about minority figures to the DEI classification (washingtonpost.com). At least 24,000 historical articles were reportedly under review for potential deletion by the Pentagon (atlantablackstar.com).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darius Spearman has been a professor of Black Studies at San Diego City College since 2007. He is the author of several books, including Between The Color Lines: A History of African Americans on the California Frontier Through 1890. You can visit Darius online at africanelements.org.