Tell The Ruth Restore Our History
Junious Ricardo Stanton
When you read Donald Trump’s March 27, 2025 deceitful and misnomered Executive Order # 14253, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-2... you discover Trump maliciously targeted the Presidents House Slavery Memorial located a Sixth and Market Streets in Philadelphia and the Smithsonian African-American Museum in Washington D.C. for shuttering. Trump’s Executive Order spells it out based upon a disingenuous prism with the express intent of obliterating and erasing the truth. The Executive Order is a shameful attempt to erase the factual documentation of American history and foster ignorance about George Washington and how deeply the institution of slavery was embroidered into the fabric of the American tapestry.
On Thursday January 22, 2026 Trump’s order was executed by National Parks Service employees who dismantled and removed educational panels throughout the site which depicted the truth about George Washington (a documented enslaver) who kept nine persons of African descent in bondage and servitude while he resided in the Robert Morris Mansion in Philadelphia during his tenure as the first President of the United States.
The City of Philadelphia immediately filed a lawsuit claiming the National Parks Service violated aspects of the Administrative Procedure Act by unilaterally dismantling the exhibit without conferring with the city. The legal team from Avenging the Ancestors Coalition and the Presidents House Slavery Memorial Alliance headed by University of Pennsylvania law school, Professor Cara McClellan filed an Amicus brief in support of the City’s lawsuit claiming the government’s action created irreparable harm to both the city and the community.
Their brief asserted the exhibit’s dismantling directly harmed the local tourism industry and the community at large, from an historical, cultural, educational and economic standpoint. They argued Trump’s actions were a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection clause. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Senate Democrats also joined the lawsuit as friends of the court and expressed their unequivocal support of the City’s lawsuit.
As part of a comprehensive response to Trump’s spiteful attempts to whitewash American history the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition and the broader based President’s House Slavery Memorial Alliance’s legal team presented their case during a hearing at the Federal Courthouse on Friday January 30th.
Federal Judge Cynthia M. Rufe heard oral arguments and insisted she wanted to inspect the removed panels and the site before rendering her ruling on the motions. On Monday February 2 Judge Rufe inspected the panels and visited the site where she was given a tour by Mijuel K. Johnson a local activist and member of The Black Journey an organization that provides walking tours of the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia. The Judge said her decision will be rendered shortly, promising it would not drag on into the Spring or Summer.
When they learned about Trump’s Executive Order, activist attorney Michael a founder of Avenging the Ancestors Coalition stated ATAC and The Presidents House Slavery Memorial Alliance headed by Roslyn McPherson initiated a coordinated campaign to bring attention to Trump’s reprehensible action. ATAC announced its latest initiative entitled Tell the Truth and Restore Our History. It is an concentrated thirty-day campaign designed to galvanize public opinion and pressure by enlisting support from media, elected officials, coordinated activism which includes social media, letter writing campaigns, a children’s letter writing campaign, an Online petition, a rally on February 10th at the Independence Park Presidents House Slavery Exhibit at Sixth and Market Streets, broad based inclusive faith based organizations, activist recruitment and engagement designed to keep this issue in the forefront of America’s consciousness. They will also create a video testimony to chronical how important the site is to individuals, the region and the nation.
For more information on Tell the Truth Restore Our History, contact the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition at ATAC.Avengingtheancestors@gmail.com or,
https://www.phslavery.org/ To sign the Online petition go to
https://www.change.org/p/tell-the-truth-re... -30-
Posted By: Junious Stanton
Thursday, February 5th 2026 at 10:13AM
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