Erasing history lacks kavod (honor)

 “Who is wise? He who learns from everyone….Who is honorable? One who honors his fellows.” Ben Zoma, ancient Jewish sage in Pirkei Avot

On the day I was born, my father and great-uncle Harry were in the stands at Ebbets Field watching rookie Jack Robinson at bat. The Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs that night, so my family’s avid Dodgers’ fans had two reasons to celebrate.

When I read last month that Robinson’s page was briefly taken down (and then restored) from the Department of Defense website, I was confused and angry. As a student of Mussar, one of my foundational principles is kavod (honor). Removing the webpage of Robinson, a family hero, pacesetter and World War II veteran, flew in the face of kavod.

Also taken down and later restored was a page about Army Maj. Gen. Charles C. Rogers, the highest-ranking African American service member to receive the Medal of Honor.

In February, Harriet Tubman’s large photo was removed from the National Park Service’s website about the Underground Railroad. The revised page featured a collection of images of stamps showing prominent Black and white abolitionists, including Tubman, and the text was changed significantly. The original page was restored on April 7.

On April 15, Channel 9 News in Denver reported that the U.S. Air Force has removed from military websites certain articles about retired Colonel Nicole Malachowski, who was the first female to fly with the elite Thunderbirds demonstrated team.

The changes are dizzying, and there is news every day about websites scrubbed, removed, replaced, restored. How many history-making American citizens are being dishonored by these actions?

The Associated Press “obtained a database of tens of thousands of Department of Defense website images that have been flagged for removal, or already removed due to having content that highlighted diversity, equity or inclusion. Images highlighting female service members' contributions have been removed as have images highlighting Black, Hispanic and Pacific Islander contributions to the military, among many others. The database AP obtained contains 26,000 images that were flagged — and they may only be a fraction of all the content that is being removed,” according to the Associated Press in a March 5 story. 

Employees of federal agencies are reporting that they are spending hours combing through manuals and webpages to change words that are now considered too “DEI” or somehow offensive or “woke.”

The New York Times, on March 7, provided a lengthy list of everyday terms, including “climate science,” “immigrants,” “diversity” and “race,” and reported, “The above terms appeared in government memos, in official and unofficial agency guidance and in other documents viewed by The New York Times. Some ordered the removal of these words from public-facing websites, or ordered the elimination of other materials (including school curricula) in which they might be included. In other cases, federal agency managers advised caution in the terms’ usage without instituting an outright ban.”

Then there is the purging of books.  According to CBS News, the U.S. Naval Academy’s library removed 381 books in April, including volumes on the Holocaust, histories of feminism, LBGTQ issues, civil rights and racism, and Maya Angelou's autobiography, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”  (“Mein Kampf” remains on the shelves.) On April 16, the Associated Press reported that  Army and Air Force libraries have been told to go through their stacks to find books related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

As a writer, former journalist and teacher as well as student of Mussar, I am truly alarmed by these developments. Whitewashing our history is not patriotism; it shows a lack of kavod by erasing the accomplishments of heroes and heroines in our nation’s history. Who and what is next??

“I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me. All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.” Jack Roosevelt Robinson

(Note: I believe all my citations are accurate as of 4/16/25. Things change rapidly these days.)