Public concerns have risen over President Trump’s attacks on museums. Beginning on March 27, 2025, when he issued an executive order to present solely “patriotic” history, museums have experienced funding cuts from the federal government.
The executive order largely targeted the Smithsonian museums and National Parks regarding their portrayal of transparent and diverse American history, specifically exhibits that display evidence and serve to educate people about slavery, racial identity, sexuality, and immigration.
President Trump has expressed his belief that having exhibits that show visitors the reality of slavery, stories of immigration and artwork by LGBTQ+ artists portrays the nation as weak.
Vice president of the board of directors and curator for the McLean County History Museum Mike Matejka, countered President Trump’s position.
“Grappling with race, class and gender issues in a museum does not diminish us as a people,” Matejka said. “Instead, it can uplift us, as we consider how our society evolved and met challenges,” he said.
He expressed his concerns over these actions and offered ways to take action.
His resume of museum work, community involvement, books, articles and awards is a testament to his passion for the study of history.
Matejka said that when choosing whose story to tell in an exhibit, he always strives to tell the “human stories,” or the stories of everyday people. He emphasized that it is important for people to see themselves in a museum, especially a local museum like the McLean County History Museum.
He stays true to his word in the permanent exhibit where he was the lead curator, titled “Working For a Living.” The exhibit highlights the lives of locals, past and present, in the Bloomington/Normal community. He stated that “history museums should reflect all of us.”
It is the nature of a public museum, like the Smithsonian or the McLean County Museum, to be a reflection of human history in a way that includes all the facets of our nations: the good, bad, and most importantly, the ugly. It has never been so vital to truly understand the history of our nation.
Matejka suggests that college students “write letters to their Congressional delegations supporting telling the full story, stand up for a complete history, and if you do visit a national park or historic site, thank the staff for their efforts.”
It is also important to visit museums because, Matejka highlighted, “the more we learn about prior times, the more we understand who we are as a nation and as a global family.”
Visits to museums are exercises in empathy. A visitor gets a feeling for a different time period, lifestyle or values, broadening their perspective. It can be easy for IWU students to support their local museums and see these “human stories” that Matekja discussed firsthand.
The McLean County History Museum is just a short walk from campus and there are many more museums nearby.
Matejka explained that museums “exist to tell stories” and “as we learn those stories, we can critique our own current situation and draw inspiration from past generations who worked to create a more equitable nation.”
That is what museums are all about: telling the stories honestly to better inform ourselves for the future.
