Rep. Brandon Gill Grills Smithsonian Director on Museum Guidance Tying Politeness to White Supremacy

Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) grilled the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History on Tuesday over guidance tying politeness with white supremacy.

The interaction occurred at a hearing held by the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency titled “Rewriting American History: Examining the Smithsonian’s Efforts to Reshape the Past.” The hearing was held following the release of a report on July 4 by the White house Domestic Policy Council accusing the museum of extensive left-wing biases that alter and frame U.S. history negatively.

“Is it important to be polite?” Gill asked Dr. Anthea Hartig, to which she replied, “Yes, sir.”

“It’s also interesting because the same mass action toolkit that your organization has been promoting references ‘politeness’ as a defining characteristic of white supremacy culture. Ma’am, are you a white supremacist?” Gill pressed.

Hartig replied: “No, sir.”

“You’re not. Can you help me square why? Your organization says that being polite is part of being a white supremacist,” Gill continued.

“I’m not exactly familiar with that passage of the mass action toolkit,” Hartig answered.

“I just read you a passage from it,” Gill countered.

Gill appeared to be quoting from 2021 guidelines unveiled by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture called “Aspects & Assumptions of Whiteness & White Culture in the United States.” The graphic, which was reported on by Newsweek at the time, listed several attributes and beliefs supposedly tied to a “white dominant culture,” including the need to “be polite.”

Gill also cited the museum’s alleged reliance under Hartig’s leadership on the MASS (Museum As Site for Social Action) Toolkit. A 2017 version of the toolkit states that: “Jones and Okun also list objectivity as a characteristic of a White supremacy culture. This encompasses repressing emotions in decision-making or group processes, thinking in a linear fashion, impatience with those who do not exhibit linear thinking or with thinking that does not appear logical.”

“Museum staff have never been objective, but because dominant norms typically coincide with the worldview of the vast majority of museum staff, it has appeared to be objective to the dominant culture. Those with worldviews outside of the dominant culture are hyperaware of the fallacy in this pretense of museum objectivity,” the toolkit continues.

Gill asked Hartig whether she thinks objectivity is associated with white supremacy. 

“Does it concern you that your goal is objectivity? One of your goals is objectivity and your mass action toolkit references ‘objectivity’ as a defining characteristic of white supremacy culture,” Gill said.

Hartig responded by saying the toolkit was not development by the Smithsonian and was used as a reference, “probably in 2019-2020.”

“Yes. Under your leadership it has been used as a reference. Is Mickey Mouse racist?” Gill continued.

“Mickey Mouse is not racist,” Hartig replied.

“It’s not racist. According to the Smithsonian Institution, one of your exhibits referenced Mickey Mouse as representing, quote, ‘vestiges of long-standing traditions of blackface minstrelsy.’ Would you describe that as racist?” he asked.

“No. The historical trajectory of the origins of Mickey Mouse tie directly,” she replied.

“So Mickey Mouse is rooted in racism. Is that your testimony?” Gill grilled.

“Sure, it’s rooted in [minstrelsy],” Hartig answered.

Gill pressed her as to whether Mickey Mouse is problematic.

“It’s not for me to determine what’s problematic. It’s determined to me what’s accurate,” Hartig sidestepped.