CNN’s Sunlen Serfaty visits the African American museum in Boston which has been impacted by the Trump administration’s cuts to funding for the arts.

Boston

For more than sixty years, Boston's Museum of African-American History has provided a tangible link to the past, serving as an educational resource for students like seventh grader Excel Alabi. The museum, located in the 200-year-old African Meeting House where historic figures such as Frederick Douglass once spoke, offers interactive programs allowing students to engage directly with history.

Recently, the museum received notification from the Trump administration that its federal grant "no longer serves the interests of the United States." As a result, a $500,000 grant from the federal government, intended to support school field trips and educational initiatives, was abruptly canceled. The museum reports that corporate support has also declined, attributing the decrease to anti-DEI sentiment following the change in administration.

The impact of these changes extends beyond the Boston museum. The administration has proposed the elimination of the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, the agencies responsible for distributing many cultural grants. In the past two months, the White House has withdrawn tens of millions of dollars in funding from cultural organizations nationwide, affecting programs such as a children's music initiative in Nebraska, a young readers program in South Dakota, and the National History Day competition.

Officials from the museum note that the Department of Government Efficiency canceled the grants, not the staff at the National Endowment for the Humanities. The museum’s leadership expressed concern that those making the decisions lacked relevant expertise. Supporters argue that public investment in arts and humanities benefits communities in important but sometimes indirect ways, and educators note the loss would limit valuable experiences for students who may not have access elsewhere.

For students like Excel Alabi, the museum provides unique educational opportunities, including learning about aspects of the Civil War not covered in her school curriculum. The potential loss of such programs raises questions about access to historical education for future generations.



Museum programs like this one could be history after Trump’s cuts

Good morning. Good morning. For more than six decades, Boston's Museum of African-American History has been a connection to the past, inspiring students like seventh grader Excel Alibi. I realize that like so many people have fought for us, fought for our freedom. The museum is a 200-year-old African Meeting House where former slaves and abolitionists like Frederick Douglass once spoke. I feel it. Seeing it like in person better than seeing it on screen or on a paper. You get to touch history and engage with history. But school programs like this one may themselves soon be history. After the Trump administration sent the museum CEO a letter saying its grants quote no longer serves the interests of the United States. I will forever remember that line. How is the fight against slavery a conflict that literally affected everything from the writing of the Declaration to the Constitution through the Civil War that literally divided the country and us not offering a perspective on that story, not in the interest of the United States. In April, the museum's $500,000 grant from the federal government was abruptly canceled. Money which was supposed to be used for school field trips and educational programs and it didn't end there. Corporate support started drying up after Trump took office which the museum blames on anti-DEI sentiment. When you received that letter what was your reaction? I was really shocked. This museum is not alone. The administration has proposed eliminating the agencies that dole out the grants, the National Endowments of the Arts and Humanities and in the last two months the White House has pulled tens of millions of dollars in funding from cultural groups across the country. Affecting a music program for young children in Nebraska, a young readers program in South Dakota and the National History Day competition, valuable programs for kids now wrestling with cutbacks or even closure. The Department of Government Efficiency canceled these grants, not the NEH staff. Nobody was involved who actually knew what they were talking about. These changes are an effort by Trump to exert more control over the nation's cultural fabric. We will teach our children to love our country, to honor our history and drastically shrink the size of the federal government. Many conservatives have long advocated such cuts, arguing arts and humanities programs are a waste of taxpayer money. Why should taxpayers still be on the hook for this? It's a joint investment in our community. Your taxpayer dollars don't always go just to what you can immediately put your hands on, but it also goes into the things that affect your daily lives in sort of very subtle ways. It would be a tremendous loss for our students because a lot of our students wouldn't experience this in any other way. Including Excel Allaby, who says she learned something about the Civil War she never learned in school. Teenagers were going to war just to fight for rights because their families were slaves, like that really stuck to me. So you made a direct connection. Yes. Teenagers of your age. Yes, I think that was like really amazing, like high schoolers going to war just to fight for rights.

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