Make Them Hear You

One of the oldest structures in Washington, D.C., Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument houses priceless history.

Here, within the walls of this imposing brick federal-style residence a block from the U.S. Capitol, leaders of the National Woman’s Party worked to try to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. They planned picket lines and Congressional lobby days and organized to fight for women’s equality under the law.

The Belmont-Paul building has been around since before Washington’s grand avenues were paved, before electricity — before Thomas Jefferson was elected president of the United States.

Thanks to a recent historic renovation funded by the Great American Outdoors Act, Belmont-Paul comes alive for visitors. When I visited this national park site earlier this year, the house was drenched in sunlight from tall windows, illuminating the historic protest signs and artifacts hanging on the walls. Our tour guide walked us from room to room, past ornate mirrors, through hallways, pointing out displays that told the story of the fight for women’s suffrage.

Like so many national park staff, our guide seemed to know everything. They could answer every question we asked, and like every good American history buff, they knew our past could sometimes be messy and complicated. For instance, our guide acknowledged that the National Woman’s Party achieved suffrage with the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920 — but only for white women.

National parks should be places where we expect honesty, not just stories that fill us with pride.

This week, new signs are going up at every national park site around the country, including Belmont-Paul, asking visitors to use a QR code to report any areas that need repair or services that need improving — as well as “any signs or other information that are negative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes and other natural features.”

As NPCA’s president and CEO Theresa Pierno remarked, “These signs could have a chilling effect on rangers just trying to do their jobs and tell the truth. When the Trump administration tries to rewrite American history, it is the American people who will suffer most. Should rangers at Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument avoid speaking negatively about slavery? Should rangers at Manzanar National Historic Site avoid talking about the imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II? This new order sets a dangerous precedent of prioritizing nostalgia over truth at our parks.”

When I think about the tour at Belmont-Paul, learning the ins and outs of this fascinating chapter of history is a gift, and I can’t believe the administration would want to meddle with that. The National Park Service has a stellar reputation for guiding visitors through journeys, telling us about key moments and fascinating factoids. This is why so many of us love geeking out on interpretive tours. Our flat-hat park rangers deserve our support for protecting and teaching every chapter of American history. They don’t deserve to be treated this way. They shouldn’t have to spend their workday looking over their shoulders in fear.

American history is full of hard truths. We can be proud of our country and still acknowledge times when we have not treated our fellow Americans with the respect and dignity they deserve. In some cases, the American government and our people have committed genuine atrocities, for which we still atone today. National parks should be places where we expect honesty, not just stories that fill us with pride. In fact, I would argue it’s more important to tell stories of our country’s mistakes, so that we may learn from them and help build a better country every day, for everyone.

That’s why we have parks such as Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, which tells the story of how authorities menaced civil rights protesters with dogs and hoses — but also tells the story of those leaders’ triumph and the country’s decision to adopt civil rights legislation. American history does not have to be all doom and gloom, but National Park Service rangers tell a fair accounting of our history and should continue to do so, with the full support of the administration and all of us.

If you see a sign, whip out your phone and scan the QR code. … tell the Department of the Interior to support our rangers and stop trying to rewrite American history.

That’s why we have to band together and show our support for our national parks, their studious staff and the priceless stories that they preserve. If I see one of those signs on my next national park trip, I am going to scan the QR code and give feedback. Here’s what I am going to write:

“This is a message for the Trump administration: Hands off our history. The rangers at this National Park are doing a great job. They are providing an essential service, protecting our history and beautiful natural landscapes for future generations. Instead of undermining them, you should support them.”

You can join me — after all, the administration is asking for our feedback! Let’s give it to them. If you see a sign, whip out your phone and scan the QR code. Just please be mindful that the park’s rangers will likely see this material before it goes up the chain to department leadership, so be polite in offering feedback and showing your support.

Let’s seize this opportunity to speak out and tell the Department of the Interior to support our rangers and stop trying to rewrite American history.

Make them hear you.