Raúl Grijalva: “Mr. Speaker, national parks hold a sacred mandate. They are not just places of extraordinary beauty. They are places of…”

“Mr. Speaker, national parks hold a sacred mandate. They are not just places of extraordinary beauty. They are places of truth. Their purpose is to preserve and interpret the full breadth of the American experience: the good, the bad, the inspiring, and the painful. Erasing history doesn't make it disappear. It makes us more likely to repeat it. History shows us in this country and around the world that when governments begin scrubbing uncomfortable truths from public spaces, they are often moving toward something darker and more dangerous. People don't visit our national parks to not only marvel at the mountains or coastlines. They come to understand who we are. They come to confront the complex tapestry of our past: our triumphs, our failures, and the lessons that bind them together. That is why the recent removal of the interpretive materials titled 'Life Under Slavery,' 'The Dirty Business of Slavery,' and signage addressing climate change should alarm every American. These changes don't make us more patriotic. They make us more ignorant. Let's be clear: These materials were not factually incorrect. They weren't misleading. They weren't partisan. They were accurate reflections of our history and our present. They are histories that make some people uncomfortable, but discomfort is not a justification for censorship.”