House Republicans Press Smithsonian Director on Mickey Mouse Exhibit and White Supremacy Toolkit
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 21
House Republicans Press Smithsonian Director on Mickey Mouse Exhibit and White Supremacy Toolkit
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 21
Summary
Rep. Brandon Gill used a House hearing to press National Museum of American History director Anthea Hartig over a Smithsonian exhibit linking Steamboat Willie to blackface minstrelsy and over a museum toolkit discussing objectivity and politeness.
Hartig said "Mickey Mouse is not racist" but added the character was "rooted in minstrelsy," and she declined to judge whether those overtones were problematic.
Gill also cited a 2017 version of the MASS Action Toolkit that described objectivity as a trait of White supremacy culture; Hartig replied, "it's not our toolkit," while he said the Smithsonian had promoted it for years.
The exchange came in the same Republican-led hearing where members also challenged Hartig on sexually explicit imagery and gender-related museum materials, while Democrats warned against erasing Black history at Smithsonian institutions.