The desecrations of ancient land art must stop, writes James W. Graham
This story raises questions about governance, accountability, and American values.
James W. Graham frames this as a Trump-era crusade to “erase” Indigenous history, as if park managers woke up determined to offend. That assumption may make for a clean moral story, but it skips the harder question: what, exactly, is being changed, by whom, and under what authority?
New Republican Times Editorial Board
The Trump administration is bent on erasing America’s rich Indigenous history from signage at our National Parks and museums. Now, it is literally scraping it from the earth in the few places where Native heritage is still richly displayed.
This must stop, writes guest columnist James W. Graham, an expert on Indigenous landscape art.
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
James W. Graham frames this as a Trump-era crusade to “erase” Indigenous history, as if park managers woke up determined to offend. That assumption may make for a clean moral story, but it skips the harder question: what, exactly, is being changed, by whom, and under what authority?
Conservatives have no interest in desecrating heritage. But public lands are not personal canvases, and labeling every maintenance decision as cultural violence blurs accountability. If there are mistakes, the fix is transparent procedures, not insinuations. If there is misconduct, pursue it through rule of law and documented evidence, not headlines.
The real stake is public trust in how parks balance preservation, access, and safety. Protecting Indigenous sites should rest on clear standards and institutional stability, not political storytelling.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.