National Archives Accused of Censoring Images of Civil Rights Leaders and Forced Relocation of Indigenous Peoples

The Biden-appointed Archivist of the United States, Colleen Shogan, directed the National Archives to alter photographic exhibits to obscure certain parts of US history, according to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal.

According to the Wall Street Journal, since taking office in May 2023, Shogan has ordered changes to displays of photographs to make the exhibits more widely appealing to the D.C. institution’s audiences. Among the displays reportedly altered were ones featuring images related to civil rights activists and the forced relocation of Indigenous peoples to World War II–era Japanese American internment camps.

Employees at the National Archives said Shogan’s directives amounted to censorship. Moreover, they alleged that Shogan’s advisers, who are part of NARA, the independent agency overseeing government records, raised concerns that conservative lawmakers could take issue with materials and imagery that focuses on political reform in the US.

Among the most controversial alterations Shogan reportedly ordered was the removal of images of Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights activists from a photo booth at the museum. Those images were replaced with pictures of Richard Nixon, Elvis Presley, and other famous figures.

Staff were also directed to replace a birth control patent that appeared in a display about American inventions with a television patent. Dorothea Lange’s photographs of Japanese American incarceration camps taken were removed for being “too negative and controversial,” according to documents and current and former staff. (Lange’s documentary images of the camps went unpublished for decades after they were seized by military personnel and quietly put into the National Archives.)

In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, a spokesperson for Shogan’s department justified the changes, saying they are part of an attempt to make the exhibit more relatable to general visitors while still being inclusive.

National Archives staff argued that the alterations obscure the reality of historical events. In the wake of the alterations, there have been senior-level departures. Meanwhile, an anonymous complaint filed with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel alleged that the alterations constitute censorship and abuse of authority. There was no official inquiry due to a lack of evidence, according to the Wall Street Journal.