By Kathy Chouteau
A controversial, federally mandated sign has appeared on the front desk of the Visitor Center at Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond.
The sign stems from an Executive Order by President Trump from March 27, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” that asks visitors to report any information that is “negative about any past or living Americans,” at the national park and casts dispersions on the previous administration’s alleged attempts to advance “corrosive ideology.”
National Parks were ordered by the Department of the Interior to post the signs by June 13, according to the Rosie the Riveter Park.
In full, the sign at the Visitor Center states: “Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historic Park belongs to the American people, and the National Park Service wants your feedback. Please let us know if you have identified (1) any areas that need repair; (2) any services that need improvement; or (3) any signs or other information that are negative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur and abundance of landscapes and other natural features.” It offers a QR code and directs people to make a submission at go.nps.gov/eo14253.
We reached out to National Park Service officials asking for comment. Spokesperson Armand Johnson responded to reiterate the order, but did not provide details on reactions to the directive or the signs. He noted the NPS has been directed to review and/or restore historical monuments, markers and memorials that were altered or removed since 2020.
The NPS has already begun taking first steps toward implementing the order, with more details to come, Johnson added.
While the Trump Administration says the effort seeks to halt widespread rewriting of history, critics say it is the president’s executive order that is committing revisionism.
In our recent visit to the Visitor’s Center, we asked a visitor from Idaho – Monique Gannon – about the sign. A second-grade teacher, Gannon said she did not agree with the sign and saw nothing at the Visitor Center that needed to be reported to the Trump Administration. During her visit, she also stopped by the Presidio and Fort Winfield Scott within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, describing the experience as “unbelievable.”
“I think it’s very important for young Americans to know what we fought for and how we got here,” Gannon said. “Without places like these, these young kids just don’t understand what we’ve been through and how we’ve gotten to where we are.”
