Late last week, a national museum literally papered over history. Responding to President Trump’s order that terminated diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the federal government, the National Cryptologic Museum taped sheets of paper over plaques that celebrate women and people of color who had served the National Security Agency, which intercepts overseas conversations and breaks foreign government codes. The honorees are described as “Trailblazers in U.S. Cryptologic History,” and the plaques hang in the museum’s Hall of Honor. BUSINESS Trump calls DEI programs ‘illegal.’ He plans to end them in the federal government When Larry Pfeiffer, who spent two decades at the NSA, saw an image online showing the plaques covered with brown paper, he was stunned. (…) Thomas said NSA leadership had not provided enough guidance as staff tried to implement President Trump’s order terminating diversity, equity and inclusion in the federal government. She also said that it had been challenging to respond to the administration’s flood of executive orders, including ones with tight deadlines. The former NSA workers are glad the museum uncovered the exhibits, but they’re still unsettled that it happened in the first place. Pfeiffer, who runs the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy and International Security at George Mason University, suspects that someone told museum staff to cover up the plaques for fear of what would happen if they didn’t. Indeed, one of the plaques contains the words diversity, equality and inclusion.
via npr: NSA museum covered plaques honoring women and people of color, provoking an uproar