Boston’s Museum of African American History has stood as a powerful symbol of Black resilience and excellence. Nestled in the city’s historic Beacon Hill neighborhood, the museum is home to the oldest Black church building in the country and has welcomed thousands of students, teachers, and history lovers eager to learn about abolitionists like Frederick Douglass and the young Black soldiers who fought in the Civil War.
But now, the future of those educational programs is in jeopardy.
The museum was set to receive a $500,000 federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). That money was supposed to expand school field trips, bring in more educators, and grow the museum’s capacity to teach the rich history of African Americans in New England. Then the Trump administration stepped in and canceled it—saying the funding “no longer serves the interest of the United States.”
That decision didn’t just sting—it shocked. Dr. Noelle Trent, the museum’s president and CEO, was left questioning how preserving the voices and victories of African Americans could ever be considered unimportant to the nation.
The museum now faces the reality of doing more with less. And it’s not alone. This move is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to shift federal support away from what it sees as “woke” or “anti-American” institutions. Agencies like IMLS and the National Endowment for the Humanities have been stripped of tens of millions in grants that once supported arts, culture, and historical preservation across the country.
For Boston’s Black community and history advocates nationwide, the message is clear: federal support isn’t guaranteed. And the fight to keep our stories alive continues.
