PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Gov. Josh Shapiro has thrown his support behind the City of Philadelphia’s lawsuit against the federal government over the removal of slavery displays from the President’s House on Independence Mall.
Shapiro filed a brief in support of the city. In it, he calls out President Donald Trump, accusing him of taking “any opportunity to rewrite and whitewash our history.”
“In Pennsylvania, we learn from our history, even when it’s painful,” Shapiro wrote. “We don’t erase it or pretend it didn’t happen. Because when we know where we’ve been, we can chart a better course for the future. Those displays aren’t just signs — they represent our shared history, and if we want to move forward as a nation, we have to be willing to tell the full story of where we came from.”
Last week, an exhibit detailing the lives of nine of George Washington’s slaves was removed from the President’s House, located at Sixth and Market streets.
“I want the world to know you cannot erase our history,” Mayor Cherelle Parker said in a video posted on social media Tuesday night. “Yes, it is flawed. Yes, it is imperfect. And yes, it includes the real-life lived experiences and stories of people who endured a great deal of pain so that America could realize its promise.”
A Department of the Interior spokesperson tied the move to an executive order from last March that claimed depictions of slavery cast America’s history in a negative light.
The city’s lawsuit says a cooperative agreement signed in 2006 requires the federal government to confer with the city before any changes are made to the President’s House.
The site was home to Presidents George Washington and John Adams, serving as the country’s first executive mansion. The free outdoor displays, added in 2010, included panels about slaves owned by Washington. Now, all that’s left are bare metal backings where the displays once were.
The first hearing in the city’s lawsuit is set for Friday in federal court.