CNN’s Anderson Cooper welcomed Professor and former NAACP President Cornell William Brooks to his Friday show to help him set some straw men ablaze on President Donald Trump’s order for the Smithsonian to remove all “improper ideology” at its museums. The published order gave a clear definition of “improper ideology,” but the duo insisted on talking about something else so it could accuse him of trying to “make America great by propaganda.”
Cooper began by asking, “When you hear this administration talking about improper ideology, what goes through your mind?”
Brooks claimed that “when I think about an American president charging the vice president with rooting out improper ideology at the Smithsonian, I think about a couple things. It is not the job of an American president to charge the crown jewel of American art and history and culture with having a proper ideology, right?”
He also declared that “the Smithsonian was created for the diffusion, the spreading, the expansion of knowledge, not engaging in ideology or propaganda or whitewashing our American history. And so I'm absolutely insulted by this, as I believe many Americans are in terms of our intelligence and culture are simultaneously being insulted by this executive order, which is, as many of them are histrionic and hysterical, constitutionally suspect, and dangerous.”
Cooper followed up by asserting he didn’t understand the logic behind the move, “The idea that you cannot acknowledge somebody from the past for enslaving people, for crimes they committed, for, you know, being of their time even, even if it is of their time, it seems -- that's an extraordinary thing. The idea that we can't talk about injustices of the past seems -- and acknowledge them, I don't understand that.”
Perhaps because that’s not what the order says. The key line from the order is “Under this historical revision, our Nation’s unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happiness is reconstructed as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed.”
The most important words are clearly “inherently” and “irredeemably.” Yet, Brooks still claimed, “Well, Anderson, let's think about this. This executive order is an attempt to essentially make America great by propaganda. But let us note this. Unless we're honest about American history, we can't appreciate the greatness of American history.”
He added, “So, unless you acknowledge that 3.9 million people were enslaved in this country, you can't appreciate the Emancipation Proclamation. You can't appreciate the 13th Amendment. You can't appreciate all these artifacts and the exhibits that attest to the resilience, the beauty, the bravery of black people.”
Another line from Trump’s order was, “It is the policy of my Administration to restore Federal sites dedicated to history, including parks and museums, to solemn and uplifting public monuments that remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union, and unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity, and human flourishing.”
“Consistent progress” certainly doesn’t sound like trying to teach the history of the 13th Amendment while avoiding slavery or similar examples.
Here is a transcript for the March 28 show:
CNN Anderson Cooper 360
3/28/2025
8:39 PM ET
ANDERSON COOPER: Professor Brooks, thanks for being here. When you hear this administration talking about improper ideology, what goes through your mind?
CORNELL WILLIAM BROOKS: First of all, Anderson, thank you for having me on and thank you for lifting up this topic. So when I think about an American president charging the vice president with rooting out improper ideology at the Smithsonian, I think about a couple things. It is not the job of an American president to charge the crown jewel of American art and history and culture with having a proper ideology, right?
So in other words, the Smithsonian was created for the diffusion, the spreading, the expansion of knowledge, not engaging in ideology or propaganda or whitewashing our American history. And so I'm absolutely insulted by this, as I believe many Americans are in terms of our intelligence and culture are simultaneously being insulted by this executive order, which is, as many of them are histrionic and hysterical, constitutionally suspect, and dangerous.
COOPER: The idea that you cannot acknowledge somebody from the past for enslaving people, for crimes they committed, for, you know, being of their time even, even if it is of their time, it seems -- that's an extraordinary thing. The idea that we can't talk about injustices of the past seems -- and acknowledge them, I don't understand that.
BROOKS: Well, Anderson, let's think about this. This executive order is an attempt to essentially make America great by propaganda. But let us note this. Unless we're honest about American history, we can't appreciate the greatness of American history.
So, unless you acknowledge that 3.9 million people were enslaved in this country, you can't appreciate the Emancipation Proclamation. You can't appreciate the 13th Amendment. You can't appreciate all these artifacts and the exhibits that attest to the resilience, the beauty, the bravery of black people.
So, for example, in the African American Museum, you have a shawl that was worn by Harriet Tubman, who being the first woman to lead American troops into battle during the Civil War, she liberated 750 people. You can't appreciate her bravery, can't appreciate her resilience, can't appreciate her character as an American heroine unless you fully appreciate the ugliness, the tragedy, the injustice of slavery.
