Some photos tell an entire history. “The Scourged Back” is one such photograph. It shows the whipped back of a man who escaped slavery. I see in the photo of Gordon, from his scars and facial expression, the inhumanity of slavery, the resilience of Black America, the lasting scars of a traumatic past, and the hope for a better future. President Trump has now ordered Gordon’s history erased and the photo removed from the Smithsonian and national parks. 

We live in a new reality. Troops occupy the streets of what was once known as the Chocolate City and are quickly deploying to Home of the Blues. Confederate statues receive renewed reverence. Lawmakers are erasing Black congressional districts. School districts are banning books about diversity and inclusion. Programs that help students of color get to and graduate from college are losing funding.  

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My right to exist and to inhabit my history, as a Black American, is under attack. I would not be who I am without that history, and neither would America. I am shaped by my father, who came from a line of enslaved sharecroppers, would graduate high school at 15, start college at Prairie View at age 16, and go on to become the youngest black general at the time. Thousands of stories like his shape the conciseness of Black America. But his history, and their stories, are not welcome in President Trump’s America. 

The Jim Crow 2.0 Era

We are witnessing Jim Crow 2.0. While the attack on the Smithsonian is emblematic, the goal is far bigger: to relegate people of color to the margins of public life, education, and democracy. 

I was at the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). I was moved by what I learned that day. But what also moved me was understanding the breadth of what has been lost.  

Attempted erasures of Black Americans are not new, but the consequences are no less terrible: the degradation of the artifacts of our history and culture. The opening of the NMAAHC was supposed to mark an end to obliteration and a beginning to celebration. A reversal is now underway. 

The Goal: Erasing the Black Experience

 President Trump appears intent on erasing Black history and replacing it with a sanitized version that negates the Black experience entirely. American history can no doubt be painful, but acknowledging that history is central to a healthy, inclusive democracy.  

The administration’s unprecedented review of the Smithsonian – which includes demands to “remove divisive or partisan narratives” and replace them with “uplifting” portrayals – is not about historical accuracy. It is about ripping out historical narratives as told by Black Americans, Latinos, and Native people, just to name a few.  

The Pressure to Teach Whitewashed Lies

It is also the latest step to destroy public education, and an invitation to like-minded states and politicians to similarly remove diversity of thought from the classroom. Many states are already requesting data collection and testing waivers from the Department of Education — actions meant to hide the effects of removing diversity and inclusion from the classroom. 

In schools across the country, students of color are being told that their histories, perspectives, and lived experiences do not matter. Under Jim Crow 2.0, they are not just denied equal education — they are being taught a false narrative of America that erases them entirely. The lesson is clear: only whitewashed stories are welcome, while truth is punished. We can celebrate the Boston Tea Party and the Revolutionary War as noble rebellions for freedom, but we cannot talk about Nat Turner’s rebellion for the same freedom. America honors one fight for liberty while ignoring the other — that is the hypocrisy at the heart of Jim Crow 2.0. 

RELATED: Can You Teach the Truth in America?

America has been called a Shining City Upon a Hill, but we cannot be a beacon to the world if we deny rights, histories, and educational access on the home front. The actions by the Trump administration, including this latest, will reimpose a two-tier education system — a modernized version of “separate but equal.” This cannot continue. Education is the civil rights fight of this critical moment, and we must meet it. If we want meaningful public education, opportunities to learn, and equitable environments for students of color, students with disabilities, English learners, and others, we will have to demand their basic civil rights to read, think, and learn.  

What We Can Do

A great first step is telling our school and legislative leaders to invest in public, not private, schools. Invest in evidence-based curriculum. And create school environments that reflect every student. And actively push back on efforts to erase history.  

I do not relish the fight ahead, but I am ready for it. Indeed, history shows us what happens when we ignore the signs. Jim Crow 2.0 will wreak havoc for decades to come, unless we stop it now. 

Denise Forte is the president and CEO at EdTrust.