{"id":426,"date":"2026-01-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/?p=426"},"modified":"2026-01-06T15:13:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T15:13:22","slug":"trumps-attacks-on-public-history-draw-scrutiny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/trumps-attacks-on-public-history-draw-scrutiny\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s attacks on public history draw scrutiny"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Still image from a record\u00ading of \u201cPub\u00adlic His\u00adto\u00adry in Author\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan Times<\/a>,\u201d a sym\u00adpo\u00adsium host\u00aded by the Gilder Lehrman Cen\u00adter and MacMil\u00adlan Cen\u00adter at Yale Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty and co-spon\u00adsored by the Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty of Connecticut\u2019s Human\u00adi\u00adties Insti\u00adtute.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Lily Gold\u00adblatt
UConn Jour\u00adnal\u00adism<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pol\u00adi\u00adtics shape the pub\u00adlic mem\u00ado\u00adry of his\u00adto\u00adry. From Nazi Ger\u00admany to the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan Civ\u00adil War and the Japan\u00adese Intern\u00adment camps in the Unit\u00aded States dur\u00ading World War II, his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adans have the task of research\u00ading his\u00adtor\u00adi\u00adcal accounts to ver\u00adi\u00adfy the facts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But today, the U.S. is mired in a \u201chis\u00adto\u00adry war\u201d in which polit\u00adi\u00adcal forces attempt to shut down well-researched and schol\u00adar\u00adly accounts of his\u00adto\u00adry in the name of \u201cpatri\u00ado\u00adtism, nation\u00adal\u00adism, pride,\u201d warned David W. Blight, direc\u00adtor of Yale University\u2019s Gilder Lehrman Cen\u00adter for the Study of Slav\u00adery, Resis\u00adtance, and Abo\u00adli\u00adtion in his open\u00ading remarks at a recent sym\u00adpo\u00adsium. \u201cWe\u2019ve nev\u00ader lived in a time when the exec\u00adu\u00adtive branch of the gov\u00adern\u00adment, almost in its total\u00adi\u00adty, has assault\u00aded what we do as it is now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schol\u00adars and his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adans from around the world gath\u00adered at Yale\u2019s Luce Hall in ear\u00adly Novem\u00adber 2025 to dis\u00adcuss \u201cPub\u00adlic His\u00adto\u00adry in Author\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan Times.\u201d Spon\u00adsored by the Gilder Lehrman Cen\u00adter and the MacMil\u00adlan Cen\u00adter at Yale and co-spon\u00adsored by the Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty of Connecticut\u2019s Human\u00adi\u00adties Insti\u00adtute, the sym\u00adpo\u00adsium fea\u00adtured a morn\u00ading pan\u00adel com\u00adpar\u00ading per\u00adspec\u00adtives from dif\u00adfer\u00adent coun\u00adtries that have con\u00adfront\u00aded author\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan\u00adism and an after\u00adnoon pan\u00adel that focused on the Pres\u00adi\u00addent Don\u00adald Trump administration\u2019s attacks on pub\u00adlic his\u00adto\u00adry at the Smith\u00adson\u00adian Insti\u00adtu\u00adtion and in nation\u00adal parks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exterior of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., on February 27, 2020, as seen from 15th Street NW - ShareAlike 4.0 International<\/p>\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-PUBHISTORY-African-american-history-museum-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"http:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-PUBHISTORY-African-american-history-museum-1024x683.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-PUBHISTORY-African-american-history-museum-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-PUBHISTORY-African-american-history-museum-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-PUBHISTORY-African-american-history-museum-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-PUBHISTORY-African-american-history-museum-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-PUBHISTORY-African-american-history-museum.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">
The exte\u00adri\u00ador of the Nation\u00adal Muse\u00adum of African Amer\u00adi\u00adcan His\u00adto\u00adry and Cul\u00adture in Wash\u00ading\u00adton, D.C., on Feb\u00adru\u00adary 27, 2020, as seen from 15th Street NW. His\u00adto\u00adri\u00adans say that Don\u00adald Trump\u2019s admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion is attempt\u00ading to erase parts of Amer\u00adi\u00adcan his\u00adto\u00adry. Pho\u00adto cour\u00adtesy of Share\u00adAlike 4.0 Inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Jen\u00adnifer Allen, a pro\u00adfes\u00adsor of Ger\u00adman and Euro\u00adpean his\u00adto\u00adry at Yale, said her research on post-war Ger\u00admany focus\u00ades not on the Nazi regime, but what comes after \u201cthe dust from the rub\u00adble set\u00adtles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the imme\u00addi\u00adate after\u00admath of World War II, Ger\u00admany tried to shift away from its actions dur\u00ading the war and pre\u00adsent\u00aded Nazism as being \u201cthe work of a small group of crim\u00adi\u00adnals,\u201d Allen said. \u201cThe optics of mem\u00ado\u00adry are kind of sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant here in the ear\u00adly evo\u00adlu\u00adtion of pub\u00adlic his\u00adto\u00adry in Ger\u00admany.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ger\u00admany attempt\u00aded to per\u00adform a kind of era\u00adsure of the past through a \u201clev\u00adel\u00ading of his\u00adtor\u00adi\u00adcal topog\u00adra\u00adphy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMov\u00ading names, remov\u00ading sym\u00adbols, demol\u00adish\u00ading build\u00adings that hadn\u2019t already been reduced to rub\u00adble,\u201d Allen said. <\/del><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After an author\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan regime, mem\u00adbers of the pub\u00adlic play an impor\u00adtant role in pre\u00adserv\u00ading pub\u00adlic mem\u00ado\u00adry. In Ger\u00admany, the \u201cStum\u00adbling Stones\u201d memo\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal project pre\u00adserves the mem\u00ado\u00adry of Holo\u00adcaust vic\u00adtims through brass-cov\u00adered cob\u00adble\u00adstones in pub\u00adlic streets, each etched with a victim\u2019s name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis project is fas\u00adci\u00adnat\u00ading in that it\u2019s entire\u00adly grass\u00adroot,\u201d Allen said. \u201cIt is ini\u00adti\u00adat\u00aded, fund\u00aded, researched, installed and main\u00adtained by real\u00adly an army of ordi\u00adnary peo\u00adple.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of hav\u00ading a cen\u00adtral\u00adized memo\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal, the stum\u00adbling stones are some\u00adthing that can\u2019t be avoid\u00aded because they\u2019re on people\u2019s dai\u00adly com\u00admutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs an anal\u00ado\u00adgy to sug\u00adgest how sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant this would be: imag\u00adine mini mon\u00adu\u00adments to the vic\u00adtims of ICE raids,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much like Ger\u00admany, the U.S. has a com\u00adpli\u00adcat\u00aded rela\u00adtion\u00adship with its actions dur\u00ading World War II, such as when Pres\u00adi\u00addent Franklin Roo\u00adsevelt issued exec\u00adu\u00adtive orders that allowed Japan\u00adese Amer\u00adi\u00adcans to be round\u00aded up and put in camps with\u00adout due process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat real\u00adly made the sto\u00adry of the Japan\u00adese Amer\u00adi\u00adcan incar\u00adcer\u00ada\u00adtion so chal\u00adleng\u00ading is that the gov\u00adern\u00adment san\u00adi\u00adtized it, they didn\u2019t want it taught in our pub\u00adlic school sys\u00adtems,\u201d said Shirley Higuchi, a lawyer and author who has stud\u00adied the his\u00adto\u00adry Japan\u00adese intern\u00adment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much like the san\u00adi\u00adti\u00adza\u00adtion of the Japan\u00adese intern\u00adment camps, the pol\u00adi\u00adtics of mem\u00ado\u00adry has caused a revival of the Con\u00adfed\u00ader\u00ada\u00adcy in pol\u00adi\u00adtics and nation\u00adal nar\u00adra\u00adtives, not\u00aded Blight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe real mean\u00ading of the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan Civ\u00adil War was \u2026 altered great\u00adly,\u201d Blight said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, the Smith\u00adson\u00adian Insti\u00adtu\u00adtion and the Nation\u00adal Park Ser\u00advice, two insti\u00adtu\u00adtions that seek to bring truth to America\u2019s his\u00adtor\u00adi\u00adcal nar\u00adra\u00adtives, have been tar\u00adget\u00aded by sev\u00ader\u00adal exec\u00adu\u00adtive orders and bills that threat\u00aden the accu\u00adra\u00adcy of how they tell Amer\u00adi\u00adcan his\u00adto\u00adry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View of the Entrance Sign to Mammoth Cave National Park in Brownsville, KY. Photo Courtesy of the U.S. National Park Service.<\/p>\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-PUBHISTORY-Nat.-Park-1024x768.jpg\" src=\"http:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-PUBHISTORY-Nat.-Park-1024x768.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-1065\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-PUBHISTORY-Nat.-Park-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-PUBHISTORY-Nat.-Park-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-PUBHISTORY-Nat.-Park-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-PUBHISTORY-Nat.-Park-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-PUBHISTORY-Nat.-Park-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">
The entrance sign to Mam\u00admoth Cave Nation\u00adal Park in Brownsville, Ky. on Oct. 28, 2017. Don\u00adald Trump has signed sev\u00ader\u00adal exec\u00adu\u00adtive orders direct\u00ading nation\u00adal parks on how they should tell Amer\u00adi\u00adcan his\u00adto\u00adry. Pho\u00adto Cour\u00adtesy of the U.S. Nation\u00adal Park Ser\u00advice.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Accord\u00ading to Ger\u00adry Sea\u00advo James, deputy direc\u00adtor of Sier\u00adra Club\u2019s Out\u00addoors for All cam\u00adpaign, Trump\u2019s bud\u00adget bill that passed in July has \u201cdelet\u00aded so many great pro\u00adgrams that cre\u00adat\u00aded near\u00adby nature and trail sys\u00adtems for unrep\u00adre\u00adsent\u00aded com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adties.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addi\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adly, James said Trump\u2019s Exec\u00adu\u00adtive Order 3431<\/a>, \u201cRestor\u00ading Truth and San\u00adi\u00adty to Amer\u00adi\u00adcan His\u00adto\u00adry,\u201d hit him in the gut as it undid years of work dis\u00adman\u00adtling the \u201cecosys\u00adtem of struc\u00adtur\u00adal racism with\u00adin the parks\u201d and the mis\u00adsion for parks to tell more diverse sto\u00adries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accord\u00ading to James, this order cre\u00adat\u00aded a \u201cQR snitch sys\u00adtem.\u201d The order encour\u00adages peo\u00adple to report \u201cany signs or oth\u00ader infor\u00adma\u00adtion that are neg\u00ada\u00adtive about either past or liv\u00ading Amer\u00adi\u00adcans or that fail to empha\u00adsize the beau\u00adty, grandeur, and abun\u00addance of land\u00adscapes and oth\u00ader nat\u00adur\u00adal fea\u00adtures,\u201d the exec\u00adu\u00adtive order said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James and his team mobi\u00adlized their sup\u00adport\u00aders to use this sys\u00adtem to push for inclu\u00adsive his\u00adto\u00adries in the parks and nation\u00adal mon\u00adu\u00adments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHis\u00adto\u00adry should be told accu\u00adrate\u00adly, whether it hurts your snowflake feel\u00adings or not,\u201d said one of the com\u00adments read by James. Anoth\u00ader likened the QR codes to North Korea or East Ger\u00admany, James said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the exec\u00adu\u00adtive order, the White House noti\u00adfied the Smith\u00adson\u00adian that it would be con\u00adduct\u00ading reviews of muse\u00adum dis\u00adplays to \u201censure align\u00adment with the president\u2019s direc\u00adtive to cel\u00ade\u00adbrate Amer\u00adi\u00adcan excep\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adism, remove divi\u00adsive or par\u00adti\u00adsan nar\u00adra\u00adtives, and restore con\u00adfi\u00addence in our shared cul\u00adtur\u00adal insti\u00adtu\u00adtions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur exper\u00adtise is being deval\u00adued in the pub\u00adlic realm,\u201d said Sarah Weick\u00adsel, exec\u00adu\u00adtive direc\u00adtor at the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan His\u00adtor\u00adi\u00adcal Asso\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtion. \u201cWhat was once his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adans\u2019 call\u00ading card \u2013 our deep knowl\u00adedge and our evi\u00addence-based method\u00adolog\u00adi\u00adcal approach\u00ades \u2013 is being cast as sus\u00adpect by the admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chuck Sams, the first Native Amer\u00adi\u00adcan to serve as direc\u00adtor of the Nation\u00adal Park Ser\u00advice, said the nation\u00adal parks tell his\u00adto\u00adries fol\u00adlow\u00ading a set of reg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions that are revis\u00adit\u00aded and updat\u00aded every few years to ensure they are being told accu\u00adrate\u00adly and to make sure there are no miss\u00ading nar\u00adra\u00adtives from this sto\u00adry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have been able to do this for over 100 years, and what I see now scares me,\u201d Sams said. \u201cOur parks are a direct reflec\u00adtion of our democ\u00adra\u00adcy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chad Williams, a pro\u00adfes\u00adsor of his\u00adto\u00adry and Black dias\u00adpo\u00adra stud\u00adies at Boston Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty, said it\u2019s impor\u00adtant to pro\u00adtect insti\u00adtu\u00adtions such as the Smith\u00adson\u00adian to keep the pub\u00adlic mem\u00ado\u00adry of U.S. his\u00adto\u00adry accu\u00adrate and true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the con\u00adtext of the Black expe\u00adri\u00adence in this coun\u00adtry, sim\u00adi\u00adlar to the expe\u00adri\u00adence of indige\u00adnous peo\u00adple in this coun\u00adtry, author\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan\u00adism is not new,\u201d Williams said. \u201cHav\u00ading that his\u00adto\u00adry on dis\u00adplay in a place like the Nation\u00adal Muse\u00adum of African Amer\u00adi\u00adcan His\u00adto\u00adry and Cul\u00adture makes it a threat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a polit\u00adi\u00adcal fight,\u201d Blight said in his clos\u00ading remarks. \u201cIt needs a dec\u00adla\u00adra\u00adtion of war. Don\u00adald Trump declared war on us on March 27, 2025, in that \u2018san\u00adi\u00adty and truth\u2019 exec\u00adu\u00adtive order. That\u2019s a dec\u00adla\u00adra\u00adtion of war on what we do.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Lily Gold\u00adblattUConn Jour\u00adnal\u00adism Pol\u00adi\u00adtics shape the pub\u00adlic mem\u00ado\u00adry of his\u00adto\u00adry. From Nazi Ger\u00admany to the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan Civ\u00adil War and the Japan\u00adese Intern\u00adment camps in the Unit\u00aded States dur\u00ading World War II, his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adans have the task of research\u00ading his\u00adtor\u00adi\u00adcal accounts to ver\u00adi\u00adfy the facts. But today, the U.S. is mired in a \u201chis\u00adto\u00adry war\u201d in [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1092,"featured_media":600,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[59,91,58,57,61,56,31,60,55],"class_list":["post-426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communities","tag-authoritarianism","tag-executive-power","tag-history","tag-national-parks","tag-sierra-club","tag-smithsonian-institution","tag-uconn","tag-uconn-humanities-institute","tag-yale-university"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-PUBHISTORY-African-american-history-museum.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":654,"url":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/trump-administration-takes-on-higher-ed\/","url_meta":{"origin":426,"position":0},"title":"How federal grant cuts and funding freezes threaten higher education","author":"Sara Bedigian","date":"January 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"By Sara BedigianUConn Journalism Fairfield Way on the University of Connecticut Storrs campus. UConn, Connecticut's flagship university, has faced millions of dollars of federal research grant cuts. Photo by Sara Bedigian Higher education has been considered a pillar of scientific research, drug discovery and technological innovation that has fueled the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Education"","block_context":{"text":"Education","link":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/category\/education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4362-2-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4362-2-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4362-2-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4362-2-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4362-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4362-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":524,"url":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/federal-research-cuts-hit-uconn\/","url_meta":{"origin":426,"position":1},"title":"Federal research cuts hit UConn ","author":"Sara Bedigian","date":"January 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"By Sara Bedigian UConn Journalism Sign on the University of Connecticut Storrs campus. UConn has lost $95 million in federal funding over the past year. Photo by Sara Bedigian University of Connecticut\u00a0Professor\u00a0Jennifer\u00a0McGarry\u00a0has spent more than 20 years running a federally\u00a0funded program that provides nutrition and physical activity support to low-income\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Education"","block_context":{"text":"Education","link":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/category\/education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4228-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4228-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4228-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4228-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4228-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4228-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":221,"url":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2025\/11\/04\/uconn-anti-black-racism-course-requirement-placed-on-hold\/","url_meta":{"origin":426,"position":2},"title":"UConn Anti-Black racism course requirement placed on hold","author":"Sara Bedigian","date":"November 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Sara Bedigian & Breanna BonnerUConn Journalism Andy Zhang, president of UConn\u2019s Undergraduate Student Government, argued to the University Senate on November 3, 2025 that if UConn moved too quickly on requiring the anti-Black racism course, it could jeopardize future diversity initiatives. 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