Two information panels commemorating black American soldiers who helped liberate the Netherlands have been removed from the visitor centre at the American Cemetery in Margraten, Limburg.
The panels highlighted the contributions of “Black Liberators” and their fight against racism within the US military.
NRC reports that these panels may have been removed months ago.
Could this have something to do with Trump?
The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), which oversees the cemetery, tells the NRC that the exhibition material is rotated regularly “so that as many individual stories as possible are featured.”
However, NIOD researcher Kees Ribbens suggests to the NRC that this decision could be linked to policies introduced during the Trump administration.
According to him, the ABMC has been encouraged to step back from promoting diversity and inclusion in its public presentations. “The diversity officer has been sidelined,” he notes.
Community voices concern
The decision to remove the panels has provoked strong criticism within the province.
Eleven parties in the Provincial Council have called the removal “indecent and unacceptable.” Noting that the visitor centre now pays little or no attention to the role of Black American soldiers in the liberation of the country.
READ MORE | Adopting graves: how the Dutch honour fallen American soldiers in Margraten Cemetery
Apart from four parties, the Council is urging that the panel be reinstalled. They are also calling for a new, permanent memorial dedicated to Black American liberators.
Limburg’s King Commissioner, Emile Roemer, will soon meet with the US ambassador to request that the panels return to the visitor centre as soon as possible.
The weight of remembrance
A spokesperson for Roemer stresses the significance of the soldiers being recognised.
“Those Black liberators played a crucial role in the liberation of Limburg. There was deep segregation in the army. They fought for a freedom they themselves didn’t have,” says the spokesperson.
Around 12.5% of the American troops were African-American during the Second World War, and 172 are buried at Margraten.
Was the removal of these panels an unfortunate coincidence, or does it reflect a deliberate choice to sideline these stories? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The Limburgse Community should not allow the removal of the signs!