Political Quotes

“I want to be clear about something. All racial, ethnic, religious groups in America are worthy of celebration, even to the extent of having their own museums. Indeed, many of them already do--in many instances, institutions and museums that are not part of or funded by the Federal Government in whole or in part. If we had more museums and fewer tweets, America would certainly be better off. This isn't about whether such museums should exist or not. This is about the Smithsonian Institution, which is itself federally funded. I understand that they also raise a significant portion of their money, but there is a brand that comes along with the Smithsonian Institution and a lot of money that is taken from the American people in the form of tax revenue. So, as a result of that, the Smithsonian Institution has a unique role and responsibility in our culture and as a repository and teller of America's national story. Now, it is absolutely true that African Americans and American Indians have a unique place in that story in that they were rather uniquely, deliberately, and systemically excluded from it. Unlike many other groups, they were persecuted and they were essentially written out of our national story and even had their own stories virtually erased--not simply by our culture or evolving values, but by that very same government, this same Federal Government.…”