Smithsonian Texts Being Archived
A volunteer group of citizen historians is actively archiving and preserving wall texts from the Smithsonian to ensure future generations can access historical interpretations. The grassroots effort responds to concerns that political pressures might threaten to revise or erase public museum records.
The volunteer group is named Citizen Historians for the Smithsonian, co-founded by Georgetown University history professors James Millward and Chandra Manning, along with graduate student Jessica Dickinson Goodman. The project was launched in August 2025, following a White House letter announcing a review of the Smithsonian's content. This "Crowd to Cloud" initiative utilized volunteers with smartphones to photograph every piece of wall text and signage in all publicly accessible Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo. Within its first seven weeks, the project recruited over 1,700 volunteers who contributed more than 50,000 photographs and videos, successfully documenting 100% of the current exhibits. The goal is to create a publicly accessible digital archive. The catalyst for this preservation effort was the Trump administration's "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" executive order. This was followed by a comprehensive review of Smithsonian museums to ensure exhibits aligned with a directive to promote "American exceptionalism" and remove what were described as "divisive or partisan narratives." Specific exhibits targeted by the administration's review included those covering topics of race, slavery, immigration, and LGBTQ+ history. For instance, a Benjamin Franklin exhibit was flagged for linking his achievements to his ownership of enslaved people, and the National Portrait Gallery was criticized for content addressing racist immigration laws. In response to the political pressure, Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III affirmed the institution's commitment to remaining "free of partisanship" and that its work would be shaped by scholarship and accuracy. In an internal memo, Bunch stated that the Smithsonian would conduct its own review to ensure content is "nonpartisan and factual." The Citizen Historians' project was inspired by a similar effort called "Save Our Signs," which documented National Parks signage in response to administration calls to report "negative" signs. The Smithsonian project is one of several citizen-led archival initiatives aimed at safeguarding historical records and interpretation.
