SAN FRANCISCO — Newly posted signs at National Parks and historic sites across the Bay Area and Northern California are prompting public concern over potential government efforts to reframe historical narratives.
The signs, which have appeared at locations including the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond and the John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, feature QR codes that encourage visitors to comment on historical displays. Specifically, the signs urge the public to report exhibits or materials that are “negative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur and abundance of landscapes.”
Critics argue the initiative risks sanitizing or omitting vital aspects of American history.
“This is an attempt to rewrite history, whitewash history, eliminate the stories of critical contributors,” said Dennis Arguelles, director of the Pacific Region at the National Parks Conservation Association.
Some historians and academics warn that encouraging public complaints about factual representations could undermine the integrity of historical scholarship. “The reporting of history is not a customer service issue. It is either fact or it is not fact,” said Dr. Nicholas Baham, a professor of Ethnic Studies at California State University East Bay. “The idea that now anyone can disagree with the presentation of fact and complain about it—and that those complaints may be actionable—is problematic. It sends a chilling message about who controls history in this country.”
The rollout of the signage comes amid ongoing federal budget and staffing reductions within the National Park Service. The same signs have reportedly been installed at high-profile sites such as Yosemite National Park, Alcatraz Island, and the Manzanar National Historic Site—a former Japanese internment camp. “When we talk about Port Chicago and Manzanar in particular, people died in these spaces,” Baham added, emphasizing the need for historical accuracy and reverence.
Park advocates are calling on federal agencies to maintain the National Park Service’s authority over historical interpretation.
“Hands off the National Park Service,” Arguelles said. “For more than 100 years, the Park Service has been the storyteller of our nation’s history. They’ve done that professionally and with care. There’s no reason to circumvent their authority.”
While the signs invite critical feedback, they also allow for supportive comments.
“I can assure you, I will be a part of resisting this,” Baham said. “I will go to these monuments and I will lodge positive praise.”
The debate underscores a broader national conversation about historical memory, public spaces, and the role of government in shaping collective understanding.
