National parks ordered to check gift shops for DEI-type items
National parks have been ordered to check their gift shops for items that support programs like diversity, equity and inclusion — and remove them.
According to an Interior Department memo obtained by the nonprofit advocacy group National Parks Conservation Association, parks have until Dec. 19 to review all retail items at on-site sales outlets run by partner associations and concessionaires.
“Pursuant to Secretary’s Order 3416, the National Park Service is conducting a common sense review of retail items to ensure our gift shops remain neutral spaces serving all visitors,” the Interior Department confirmed to USA TODAY. “We work closely with our partners to ensure this process runs smoothly and does not disrupt the visitor experience. If any items are found to be incompatible with the order, they will be removed from sale.”
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Alan Spears, senior director of cultural resources at NPCA, says it’s not that simple. “This is part of ongoing efforts to sanitize, soften or erase the history of our national parks,” he said.
SO 3416 calls for ending “all actions related to ‘unlawful and immoral discrimination’ programs, including DEI mandates, policies, preferences, and activities… (collectively, ‘equity-related’) within the Department (of the Interior).” It was released in January, on the heels of a broader executive order from President Donald Trump focused on DEI in the federal government.
In March, Trump issued another order, calling on Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to take action “to ensure that any public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparages past or living Americans (including those living in colonial times), and instead focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.” » Burgum followed suit with his own order in May, and weeks later, visitors to Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley National Park reported seeing signs asking them to report anything that might be derogatory about America or U.S. history.
However, Spears said, “It’s all part of our history… If we have books or interpretive materials or signs or even key chains that highlight that, that’s part of our shared national narrative, and I think those things need to stay in place.” »
He said national parks have enough to worry about without criticism from gift shops. Citing understaffing, maintenance backlogs and inadequate funding, he said: “Our National Park Service Rangers should be managing the parks, not censorship campaigns. »
The Department of the Interior affirmed its commitment to remaining neutral and not promoting specific viewpoints: “Our goal is to keep national parks focused on their core mission: preserving natural and cultural resources for the benefit of all Americans. »
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: National parks to remove DEI-style items from gift shops
