More than 25 Kentucky organizations have sent a letter urging Governor Andy Beshear, Kentucky's congressional delegation, and other state leaders to oppose Executive Order 14253 and Secretarial Order 3431, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” The organizations include environmental groups, outdoor recreation advocates, historic preservation organizations, cultural institutions, and community-based groups.
"Kentuckians care deeply about preserving the integrity of the stories told on our public lands," said Gerry Seavo James, deputy director of the Sierra Club's Outdoors for All campaign. "The histories of enslaved African American cave guides at Mammoth Cave National Park, Black soldiers and freedom-seeking families at Camp Nelson National Monument, and Indigenous communities at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park are not side notes. They are central to understanding these places and our shared past."
The letter responds to concerns that materials at Mammoth Cave National Park, Camp Nelson National Monument, and Cumberland Gap National Historical Park were identified in a leaked federal database tied to implementation of the orders. For example, at Mammoth Cave, materials connected to the history of enslaved African American cave guides were identified, including interpretation tied to the Bransford family, whose knowledge, labor, and skill were essential to the exploration of the cave and to how its story has been told for generations.
“These sites are strongest when they present history with accuracy, integrity, and context,” states the letter. “Kentucky has long taken pride in preserving and sharing its heritage.”
The coalition warns that the directives could be used to remove or narrow interpretation tied to Black history, Indigenous history, and other essential parts of Kentucky’s story, and calls on state and federal leaders to press the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service to protect historically grounded interpretation at park sites across the state.
“We’re calling on Kentucky’s leaders to ensure these federal directives are not used to remove historically grounded interpretation at our national parks,” said Sarah Reeves, grassroots programs coordinator of the Sierra Club Kentucky Chapter. “These sites are some of our nation’s most important classrooms, and they are strongest when they present history with accuracy and integrity.”
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