It’s up to Congress to save the Smithsonian from the anti-American left

Is Mickey Mouse inherently racist?

That’s the impression you would get if you visited the exhibit on Entertainment Nation at the American History Museum on the National Mall — the Smithsonian Institution’s flagship museum that explains to between 2 million and 4 million visitors every year what America is all about, and why.

You won’t find any permanent exhibit on the Founding Fathers or the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

But you will find a display that claims one of America’s most beloved and iconic cartoon characters, Mickey Mouse, was actually inspired by blackface minstrelsy — an entertainment trend directly linked to the demeaning of African Americans in our past.

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Does that mean the Smithsonian thinks Mickey is a racist symbol? In congressional testimony on July 22, the museum’s director, Anthea Hartig, said no, but she’s not fooling anyone.

The bitter truth is, the woke toxin that has been destroying American education has spread deep into our national museum culture — corrupting even the ones that most represent who we are to foreign visitors.

Those hearings demonstrated just how far the poison has spread, and how administrators continue to deny or cover it up.

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This takeover by the radical left has been going on for years, as its practitioners have crafted a view of history that systematically denigrates America, while turning words like diversity and inclusion into guided missiles for attacking our most important institutions.

And the blame falls squarely on conservatives.

They watched as the radical left took over our universities and colleges, and did nothing.

They frowned a little as the left took over K-12 education, but did nothing.

They squirmed when the left took over Monticello and Montpelier, but again did nothing.

Now a DSA-style agenda has infected our most important museums in the nation’s capital.

The shame is, there’s such a great story that our national museums could be telling.

It’s a story of how our founding on the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness has been the guiding light in our history for 250 years. Our most dramatic episodes, from the American Revolution and the Civil War to the building of the transcontinental railroad and the rise of American industry and technology, all show that same Founders’ spirit and drive that animates what we call American exceptionalism.

It’s also a story of how women, African Americans, Native Americans and immigrants of every color and background have struggled but also triumphed in their pursuit of the American Dream. Their story is an inspiring saga which we continue to see unfold before us — one that still draws millions to our shores in pursuit of the same dream.

In short, America’s story is one of the greatest, most exciting, and most inspiring, adventures in all history. The radical left, however, is determined to turn that story into an extended horror movie. Our Smithsonian museums are only their latest theaters for spreading their lies and distortions.

Now, finally, Texas Republican Rep. Brandon Gill and his colleagues have publicly exposed the threat through their hearings. So has the White House, with its Domestic Policy Council report detailing how the Smithsonian has been captured by a radical, activist ideology. It’s time for ordinary Americans to stand up against the radical denigration of their country and its culture.

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Even liberals should be horrified at what’s happened. We can quote the words of an iconic liberal historian, Arthur Schlesinger Jr., who wrote more than three decades ago:

"If we repudiate the quite marvelous inheritance that history bestows on us, we invite the fragmentation of the national community into… cultural and linguistic apartheid."

Apartheid is precisely what the left wants, in order to seize power. Now, in our 250th anniversary, it’s time to turn the telling of history in our nation’s capital from condemnation to celebration.

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