{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://jonathanjackson.house.gov/media/press-releases/jackson-blasts-removal-wwii-memorials-honoring-black-veterans-backs-cleaver", "Jackson Blasts Removal of WWII Memorials Honoring Black Veterans, Backs Cleaver-Led Push to Restore Displays", "2025-12-16", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "House", "IL", "Jonathan L. Jackson", "J000309", "jonathanjackson.house.gov", "jonathanjackson", "https://jonathanjackson.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "CHICAGO, IL; Congressman Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01) issued the following statement in response to reports that the Trump administration quietly directed the removal of memorial panels honoring African American soldiers at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, following pressure from right-wing activists:\n\n\u201cIt is unconscionable that any administration; American or otherwise; would seek to erase the sacrifice of Black soldiers who fought, bled, and died to defend democracy around the world. These men helped defeat fascism abroad while enduring segregation and discrimination at home. To strip their memory from sacred ground is not only disrespectful; it is historical vandalism.\u201d\n\nThe removed displays, dedicated in 2024 at the cemetery where more than 8,000 Americans and approximately 172 Black soldiers are buried, told the story of the \u201cBlack Liberators of Margraten,\u201d including telephone engineer George H. Pruitt, who died while trying to save a fellow soldier. One panel described how over one million African Americans served in World War II, often confined to support roles and forced to fight both the enemy abroad and entrenched racism within their own military.\n\nReports indicate that the decision to pull the panels followed complaints from the Heritage Foundation, which accused the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) of violating Trump-era directives targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Local Dutch officials and political parties have condemned the removal as \u201cindecent\u201d and \u201cunacceptable,\u201d underscoring the deep respect in the Netherlands for the Black Liberators of Margraten.\n\n\u201cWhen the record of our nation grows inconvenient to those who trade in revisionism, they reach for the eraser instead of the truth,\u201d Congressman Jackson said. \u201cThis decision dishonors the very freedoms those Black GIs defended. We must never let their stories be buried a second time.\u201d\n\nCongressman Jackson is a proud supporter and signatory of the effort led by Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (MO-05), in which more than 30 Members of Congress have called on ABMC to immediately restore the displays honoring Black servicemembers at Margraten and to explain the circumstances of their removal. The Cleaver-led letter emphasizes that more than one million African Americans served in World War II and that the 172 Black soldiers interred at the Netherlands American Cemetery must be fully and permanently recognized in the visitor center and public interpretation.\n\n\u201cIn addition to pursuing my own oversight efforts, I have joined Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II and many of my colleagues in a formal letter demanding that the Black servicemember displays at Margraten be restored without delay,\u201d Jackson stated. \u201cTheir letter makes clear that the service and sacrifice of more than a million African American troops, and of the Black Liberators of Margraten in particular, are not optional footnotes; they are central to the history of World War II.\u201d\n\nCongressman Jackson is calling for vigorous oversight, including hearings in the House committees with jurisdiction, to ensure that U.S. historical representations overseas are not manipulated by partisan or ideological pressures. He has expressed support for requiring ABMC to adopt policies that guarantee permanent, prominent recognition of Black servicemembers\u2019 contributions at Margraten and at all American cemeteries and memorials under its care.\n\n\u201cEvery American who wears the uniform deserves to be remembered with dignity; regardless of race or rank,\u201d Jackson added. \u201cI stand shoulder to shoulder with Congressman Cleaver and every member of Congress insisting that ABMC restore these displays, commit to permanent recognition of the Black Liberators of Margraten, and ensure that the truth of their service is never again subject to partisan pressure or quiet removal.\u201d\n\nCongressman Jackson, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, has long advocated for correcting racial disparities in veterans\u2019 benefits and for elevating the stories of Black servicemembers whose heroism was too often ignored upon their return home.\n\n\u201cHistory is truth in service of justice,\u201d Jackson concluded. \u201cThe story of the Black Liberators of Margraten will not be erased; not on my watch and not on behalf of the people I serve.\u201d", 1, "2026-06-12T06:37:16Z", "2026-06-12T06:39:00Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://jonathanjackson.house.gov/media/press-releases/jackson-blasts-removal-wwii-memorials-honoring-black-veterans-backs-cleaver"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4844918623566628, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}