I haven't been in that gift shop in years (maybe ever?), so I have no idea how long the merch has been there. And it's worth remembering that the Archives Museum was the focus of controversy last under Colleen Shogan, a Joe Biden appointee (whom Trump fired for his own reasons).
I thought you took those photographs. I haven't heard much about the National Archives since that incident. I am sure it's just a question of time.
Sorry, I wasn't clear - yes, I took those photos when I was there yesterday. What I meant was, I can't remember the last time I was in the gift shop before that. So for all I know, the "Rebel Archives" merch has been there for years.
I'm writing about how NARA engages audiences for a separate project and got curious so I ran the ecommerce site through the wayback machine--the hoodies were there as early as 2023. that said, I tend to agree that the current display (hood up, shades on) seems a little insurrection-y
Thanks for that detail! And yes, I didn't think this was necessarily a Trump-era innovation. While I appreciate Kevin's position, the merch is still too Confederate-adjacent for my tastes.
Yep. We can’t afford to equivocate at all right now. No quarter for insurrectionists, even if it’s ill-thought unintentional winking at them.
I am going to use the opportunity to educate with my hoodie. That’s all I can do.
Well, deciding not to wear it is always an option. People tried to do this with red hats awhile back and it wasn’t effective. Sometimes fascists ruin cool things and putting them aside is the best idea.
Sure, but I don’t think that is the case here.
Got it.