They took down the panels. The receipts remain.
Update February 18, 2026: Workers have begun restoring the slavery panels after U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe’s order to put the display back while the city’s lawsuit proceeds forward.
This January, the National Park Service removed the exhibition on “Freedom and Slavery” that’d been at Independence Mall since 2010. The six-panel display documented the lives and impact of enslaved Africans in the founding days of our republic, and over the years it’s been a focal point for community activism, education, and commemoration.
No more. This depiction of slavery was dismantled under a new executive order to eliminate historic narratives that “inappropriately disparage Americans,” in favor of showcasing “achievements and progress.” As if our country can avoid the repercussions from 400+ years of institutional abuse by simply pretending slavery wasn’t that big a deal. How is this possibly the plan?
True Story: in Germany, schools are legally required to teach about the Holocaust from elementary through high school. The country’s landscape is marked with more than 100,000 “stumbling stones” commemorating victims on the sites of Nazi atrocities. There’s a cultural responsibility to actively atone for their nation’s sins, Germans even have a name for it “Vergangenheitsaufarbeitung”, which means “working off the past.”
Choosing Truth
We don’t have that word in English, obviously, but that shouldn’t excuse us from accepting the truth about our country’s history. As we wait for the city’s lawsuit to (hopefully) overturn this disgraceful mistake, we can seek cultural accountability in our own lives. The Lest We Forget Museum of Slavery is an outstanding place to start, in the heart of Historic Germantown.
The sights and stories here are a powerful antidote to even the most aggressive whitewashing. Every artifact is genuine, and chilling: auction tags, bills of sale, shackles, branding irons, lynching photos. There are cases of grimly grinning Jim Crow memorabilia, and 100+ years of demeaning caricatures in books, advertisements, home décor – even toys and boardgames.
But there’s strength and courage too. Revolts, resistances, uprisings, sabotage. Daring escapes and coordinated efforts across racial lines in the fight for human rights. Since the Germantown Quaker’s first petition against slavery in 1688, Americans of all colors have worked to advance freedoms against the status quo.
LWF Museum is a visceral experience that often evokes complicated feelings. Cofounder and curator Gwen Ragsdale expertly navigates guests through the collection, providing context and positing questions to think about. Her manner is firm and patient, shaped by 25+ years of bringing these painful truths to light.
The Reckoning Continues
At a recent presentation, she addressed how the NPS’s latest affront felt especially personal, as one of the banned panels featured an image of the slave shackles that founded LWF’s collection. This photo was the only concrete evidence shown in all six panels, indeed, at the whole National Historic site.
“We all need to do what we can to get these panels put back,” Gwen told the crowded room, “We’ve been through so much already, this is nothing.”
Survival is not a question — not now, not at any time since before this country was founded. “The higher they build their walls, the taller we will grow.”
Every visit to LWF Museum helps support Gwen’s vital mission, and rebuke the lies of white nationalism. Above all, LWF Museum is an eye-opening experience that makes us better neighbors, better citizens, and better people in general.
Grab your chance to take the blinders off and face our collective history. Even just a little bit is healing. We can start right here, just open your eyes.
LEST WE FORGET SLAVERY MUSEUM
5501 Germantown Ave | 215-205-4324
lwfsm.com | Facebook
Open Tues – Fri 10am – 4pm; Sat/Sun 12pm – 4pm *Reservations Required* (book online)
By appointment only, admission $20. Presentations are suitable for all ages and ethnic groups, and can be customized for length/scope/focus/etc. LWF Slavery Museum is a partner of Historic Germantown. Founded, funded, curated and maintained by Joe and Gwen Ragsdale. Memberships start at just $35 (and include unlimited visits). Entrance on Church Street across from Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books.
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