New York Congressman Paul Tonko says the country's museums, lands, and cultural heritage are threatened by political interference and erasure.
During a gathering Wednesday at Peebles Island State Park at the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers in Cohoes, Tonko huddled with representatives from local cultural and historic organizations, sounding the alarm that history should be shared and preserved, not rewritten or deleted.
"At Stonewall National Monument in New York City, references to trans and bisexual people were simply removed, including those historic roles played by Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera," said Tonko. "National Park exhibits about slavery, Native American genocide and sea level rise have been flagged for removal. But we're here to say, 'hands off our history.'"
The Democrat from the 20th district said federal funding cuts and policy changes under President Trump threaten historical preservation efforts.
"The administration is trying to drag us backward, erasing voices, rewriting history to fit a narrow, rose colored version of the past. They're attempting to slash funding and staffing for the National Park Service, gut the Historic Preservation Fund undermine our national heritage areas. We know how much work has gone into that and cut off support for our libraries and museums. IMLS is at risk. So it's not solely about funding and workforce. This is a calculated campaign of historical erasure. I keep referring to it as 'editing America,'" Tonko said.
Officials from the Albany area have been critical of the U.S. Army's move to rename Fort Johnson in Louisiana to its former name, Fort Polk. It's part of a larger push by Department of Defense under President Trump to reverse recent moniker changes. Several installations named after Confederate soldiers were renamed under former President Biden.
Fort Polk was renamed after Albany native and WWI war hero Sgt. Henry Johnson in 2023.
In a panel discussion, participants emphasized the need for community support, fundraising, and strategic planning.
Paul Stewart is Co-founder of Albany's Underground Railroad Education Center, which is being impacted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's termination of a $20 million grant intended to support environmental justice and revitalization efforts in the city.
"You're going to see people all across the country are standing up and saying, 'Hey, this is wrong.' The immigration policy is wrong, the policy toward education is wrong, the policy towards civil rights is wrong, and people are pushing back. And, you know, when we when we get to that moment, we're going to be pushing back all the way, but when we get to that moment, when we're able to flip the Congress back, they're going to see a lot of things be rebuilt that they took away," Stewart said.
Schenectady County Historical Society Education Director Michael Diana argued it is not a good business strategy to take away resources, both from an economic development point of view, but also a quality of life point of view for residents.
"There's only so much that historic site or historic organization can do to compensate for lost federal funds. But what the general public can do if they're concerned about what they see going on and they want to do something real and tangible and important to support a local organization is they can show up, right? It doesn't even have to be a donation or a tax write off or a burden. It can just be like a fun thing you do on a Saturday evening. I think showing up to a program or an event or just in some way, showing up to your local historical organization can do more for their bottom line, for their ability to do the work that they do," said Diana.
Though his own party is currently in the minority, Tonko encouraged the panelists to remain committed to defending cultural and historical resources.
"We have to stay determined and keep the resolve to make certain that progress that we have made," Tonko said. "Today we heard about progress in cultural, education, heritage and history preservation. We need to maintain a vigilance here, because we've come too far to allow us to go to push us backward."
