National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig was questioned by House Republicans on Tuesday regarding museum exhibits and materials that lawmakers described as promoting a "woke" ideology. The focus of the hearing included a display that linked Mickey Mouse to blackface minstrelsy and a museum toolkit that described "objectivity" as a characteristic of White supremacy culture.
Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, directly asked Hartig whether the iconic Disney character Mickey Mouse is racist. Hartig responded that Mickey Mouse is not racist, but acknowledged that the character is "rooted in minstrelsy," referencing a Smithsonian Institution exhibit. When pressed by Gill on whether these purported racist overtones were "problematic," Hartig stated it was not her role to make that determination.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., also raised concerns about sexually explicit imagery, which he described as "bondage," within museum exhibits.
Further questioning by Gill centered on the MASS Action Toolkit, an anthology for museums that references the 2014 Ferguson, Missouri, police shooting and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests. Gill cited passages from the toolkit that discuss "objectivity" and politeness as features of White supremacy culture. He asked Hartig if the toolkit's characterization implied that she or the institution were White supremacists.
A 2017 version of the toolkit available online states that "Jones and Okun also list objectivity as a characteristic of a White supremacy culture. This encompasses repressing emotions in decision-making or group processes, thinking in a linear fashion, impatience with those who do not exhibit linear thinking or with thinking that does not appear logical." The toolkit also notes that "museum staff have never been objective, but because dominant norms typically coincide with the worldview of the vast majority of museum staff, it has appeared to be objective to the dominant culture."
When Hartig responded that the toolkit was not the Smithsonian's, Gill pointed out that the institution had promoted it for years. Hartig stated she could not immediately recall the specific passage Gill was referencing when asked if the characterization of politeness as part of White supremacy concerned her.