Growing up in the DC suburbs in the ’90s, my family often hit the museums of the Smithsonian Institution .

I got to know their exhibits as if they were part of my own neighborhood, cheerfully bouncing from wing to wing, knowing exactly where the coolest stuff was.

I distinctly remember being proud of all the things America had done, gleefully identifying artifacts and displays that correlated with what I was learning in school.

These museums were temples of American greatness.

They told a story of discovery, ingenuity, beauty and grit.

But today, a visit to the Smithsonian will give you the distinct impression that the United States is less a land of innovation and courage than a hellscape of oppression and crimes against humanity.

For the past few decades, the leaders of these mus

See Full Page