From day one, the Trump Administration has systematically attacked the nation’s diverse cultural heritage, deliberately working to erase Latino history from public memory. They are effectively rewriting our past, present, and future.
This is evidenced by directives like “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which directly undermine the foundations of how we understand who we are collectively and whose stories deserve to be told by manipulating history, weaponizing patriotism, and silencing those who dare to speak truth to power.
These actions follow a disturbing pattern. They seek to impose a constricted, exclusionary view of America, one that denies the richness and complexity of our shared past. Trump’s executive order labels challenging this fabricated narrative as un-American, as if patriotism for this nation demands that we abandon our integrity and ignore the injustices woven into our history.
We, Latinos in Heritage Conservation, refuse to be silenced. We will not allow Latino stories to be erased, not in the stories we share, books we read, the movies and TV shows we watch, the podcasts we listen to, the journalism that informs us, the museums we visit, or even the national registries that tell America’s story. We will continue to fight for a history that reflects the full spectrum of the American experience.
This administration’s agenda threatens not only vital cultural institutions – including the Smithsonian, Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the National Endowment for the Humanities – but also endangers the tangible foundations of our collective heritage. These policies jeopardize vital projects like the proposed Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino, a beacon of cultural recognition for over 64 million people’s contributions.
Furthermore, the erasure of Hispanic American history from Arlington National Cemetery symbolizes more than just surface-level changes. These acts are a direct assault on our legacies – silencing voices, diminishing sacrifices, and rewriting the vital roles Latinos have played in the history of the United States.
While some might dismiss the attempt to rename the Gulf of México as a mere symbolic gesture, it aims to redraw the map of memory, erasing the very footprint that speaks to the historical connection between two sister countries. Executive Order 14172 imposes a revisionist version of the past, one that denies Latino’s enduring presence and contributions.
The impact of these policy shifts is devastating, given the historical underrepresentation of Latino narratives in official records. In our March 2025 equity study, Latinos in Heritage Conservation found that only 0.65% of sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places represent Latino history and culture, a stark contrast to the demographic size and historical significance of Latino communities in the U.S.
The deliberate erasure and underrepresentation of Latino history has devastating, real-world consequences. It perpetuates harmful stereotypes, telling Latino youth their stories are insignificant – and so weakening their sense of cultural identity. It makes Latino neighborhoods more vulnerable to gentrification and displacement, tearing families from their homes and fracturing the cultural fabric of communities built over generations.
Let me be clear: Latinos are not outsiders to the American story. We are its very authors, its builders, its defenders. We have woven ourselves into the fabric of this nation over hundreds of years, paying into its legacy with our ingenuity, our unwavering labor, our enduring memories, and our immeasurable sacrifices. This land, this nation, bears the indelible mark of our contributions, a testament to our inherent and undeniable belonging.
History does not passively protect itself. History survives because people, like our grandmothers, choose to carry it forward, to breathe life into its narratives.
Y así seguiremos.
