Navajo code talker veteran Thomas Begay with a framed picture commemorating National Navajo Code Talkers Day.
Share
March 20, 2025
Ask students: What department removed web pages and images honoring the contributions of women and people of color? Why were the Navajo Code Talkers important in World War II?
Share
The Trump administration’s efforts to strip diversity, equity and inclusion prompted the Defense Department to remove thousands of pages and images honoring the contributions of women and people of color. The Pentagon is restoring some of those web pages, saying the removal was a mistake. For a deeper look at what stories are told and which are ignored, Geoff Bennett spoke with Don Moynihan.
View the transcript of the story. News alternative: Check out recent segments from the News Hour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
The Secretary of Defense says that they are not celebrating any particular Confederate general but rather military generals that just so happen to share the same names. Don Moynihan of the University of Michigan says that this explanation is not very compelling: the renaming is occurring at precisely the same time that the SecDef is removing images and stories of Americans who Confederate generals would not have viewed as citizens.
What do you think of the SecDef's explanation? Do you think it's a coincidence that the changes mentioned above are happening simultaneously? Explain your response.
"As Secretary Hegseth has said, DEI is dead at the Defense Department. Discriminatory Equity Ideology is a form of Woke cultural Marxism that has no place in our military,” Ullyot said. “It Divides the force, Erodes unit cohesion and Interferes with the services’ core warfighting mission. We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the Department with the directive removing DEI content from all platforms."
What do you think of this claimed reason for removal?
Media literacy: What are other websites and resources you can use to learn more about the contributions of women and people of color in the United States?
Check out our Journalism in Action series on Native American History, where you can learn more about the Navajo Code Talkers by watching clips, annotating archival material and more.
Read this story to learn about Lieutenant Colonel Charles Calvin Rogers and why he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Classroom.
