A group of former National Park Service employees launched an independent education campaign after the Trump administration canceled dozens of exhibits across federal historic sites, including a planned African-American history display at Harpers Ferry National Historic Park that had been years in development.
Resistance Rangers Take History Public
Elizabeth Kerwin, 58, former exhibit planner at Harpers Ferry National Historic Park in West Virginia, spent years developing a memorial wall honoring hundreds of enslaved people connected to the historic site where John Brown’s raid helped spark the end of slavery. The exhibit space now sits empty behind boarded windows, marked only by a sign reading “African-American History.” The cancellation came as part of a 2025 executive order requiring exhibits to focus on what the administration called “objective facts” rather than narratives it deemed ideologically driven.
Trump axed a Black history exhibit. Former park rangers are teaching it anyway.
June 26, 20265:00 AM ET
Kerwin joined other displaced federal workers to form the Resistance Rangers, part of a broader coalition called America 433+, named for the number of sites in the National Park System. The group organized on Juneteenth, June 19, to conduct unofficial educational tours at Harpers Ferry, handing postcards to tourists and explaining the canceled exhibit that would have opened nearby.
Legal Challenge Brings Partial Victory
The National Parks Conservation Association and other organizations filed suit against the Department of the Interior challenging enforcement of the executive order. A federal judge issued an order one week before Juneteenth requiring the government to stop further removals and restore previously removed historic materials. U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley ruled in favor of the advocacy groups, though the full impact of her decision remains unclear. The Interior Department and National Park Service did not respond to requests for comment.
What This Means
Former park guide Melissa Dalley, who worked at the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site in New York, said the volunteer effort aims to reach park visitors with historical information that was scheduled for official display before the policy change. The group timed their launch to coincide with both Juneteenth celebrations and the nation’s preparation for its 250th anniversary in 2026. The volunteers describe their mission as preserving access to comprehensive American history through grassroots education when official channels have been restricted.