*Filmmaker and activist Ava DuVernay used her platform at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History this week to offer an impassioned defense of the institution’s role in preserving inclusive narratives, as the museum awarded her its prestigious Great Americans Medal for her contributions to American culture and ideals.
As NBC Washington reports, her remarks came at a time when the very foundation of that mission is under political threat. In late March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that singles out the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) as allegedly promoting “divisive, race-centered ideology.” The directive tasks Vice President J.D. Vance with auditing the Smithsonian’s content for material deemed to “degrade shared American values” or “divide Americans based on race.”
Speaking at the award ceremony, DuVernay emphasized the importance of spaces like the Smithsonian that reflect a fuller and more honest American story. “Let me tell you about the families – Black, white, native, immigrant – who walk through the doors of Smithsonian museums and feel that this country might just make room for them after all,” she said. “That is not indoctrination. That is belonging. That is education. That is democracy.”
DuVernay’s connection to the museum is personal, she produced the short film that plays at the entrance of NMAAHC, setting the tone for visitors as they begin their journey through centuries of Black American history. In light of the executive order, her voice adds to a rising chorus of support for the museum and concern over what many view as an attempt to rewrite or erase the Black experience in America.
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A wave of support is rising from civil rights leaders, lawmakers, and historians. “This flagrant attempt to erase Black history is unacceptable and must be stopped,” read a letter from Representatives Joseph Morelle, Terri Sewell, and Norma Torres. The executive order also follows the recent closure of the Smithsonian’s diversity office and growing unease over artifacts reportedly being returned or quietly removed, including a Bible once used in civil rights protests.
Morehouse College historian Clarissa Myrick-Harris warned of a dangerous trajectory. “It seems like we’re headed in the direction where there’s even an attempt to deny that the institution of slavery even existed,” she said.
Despite the political storm, the moment was one of recognition for DuVernay, who became the 10th recipient of the Great Americans Medal. The award places her in the company of figures such as Colin Powell, Billie Jean King, Yo-Yo Ma, and Paul Simon, individuals museum director Anthea M. Hartig described as “pathbreakers” who have “charted new territories for us and what it means to be American.”
Reflecting on the honor, DuVernay told News4, “To be able to say the kinds of stories that I tell — about folks that might be seen as on the margins — have value, and that that’s worthy of being celebrated, means a lot to me.” She added, “This acknowledgement really put some wind under my sails, especially in this turbulent time, for artists to feel encouraged to raise our voices about what we see, what we believe. And I intend to do that for as long as I can.”
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