Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Michelle Riley founded Visual Truth Matters to help preserve visual history at risk of being erased as federal agencies carry out Trump administration directives to purge records and digital archives. This effort comes in response to a sweeping campaign across the U.S. government to remove or destroy historical images, documents, and web content that do not align with the administration’s preferred narrative.
If you care about preserving honest and inclusive historical records, consider supporting digital archiving projects, sharing threatened content, or even volunteering with organizations dedicated to safeguarding public memory. Every saved image or document helps ensure that history remains accessible to all, not just those in power.
CONTACT Michelle directly linkedin.com/in/michelle-riley-56866714
The Pentagon has flagged over 26,000 images—including photos documenting the achievements of women, minorities, and historic events like the Tuskegee Airmen and the Enola Gay—for removal as part of an initiative to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) content from military records. Many of these images commemorate significant milestones in American history and their deletion has sparked concern among historians and archivists.
Smithsonian Institution: President Trump’s executive order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” specifically targets the Smithsonian and other cultural institutions, accusing them of promoting “divisive” or “anti-American” narratives. The order directs the elimination of exhibits or programs that the administration deems to divide Americans by race or ideology. This has raised alarms about political interference in the stewardship of the nation’s historical and cultural memory.
USAID: The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been instructed to destroy classified documents and, according to reports, has already lost access to entire archives, including its extensive photo gallery. This destruction is part of a broader move to dismantle the agency and erase records that could be relevant to ongoing litigation or future historical research. The agency’s public photo archive is no longer accessible, illustrating the real-world impact of these purges.
The Mission of Visual Truth Matters
Michelle Riley’s initiative, Visual Truth Matters, steps in where official records are being deleted or altered. By collecting, archiving, and sharing visual documentation, the project aims to safeguard pieces of history that are at risk of disappearing. This work is crucial because, as historians note, the removal of public records undermines Americans’ ability to access and assess their own history, eroding trust in factual information and democratic accountability.
Imagine a future where photos of the first Black military pilots or trailblazing women in the armed forces are simply gone, deleted from official records and government websites. Or where entire archives documenting U.S. international development efforts vanish overnight. Without independent efforts like Visual Truth Matters, these erasures could become permanent, rewriting the public memory and limiting future generations’ understanding of the past.
Footnotes Visual Truth Matters campaign overview: lensforchange.myflodesk.com/visual-truth-matters Michelle Riley LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michelle-riley-56866714 NPR: "Pentagon Orders Removal of Diversity Photos" (2024): npr.org/2024/03/28/1240844986/pentagon-diversity-photos-removal Washington Post: "Pentagon Scrubs Diversity Photos" (2024): washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/28/pentagon-diversity-photos White House Executive Order: trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-restoring-truth-sanity-american-history Smithsonian Magazine: "Trump Targets Museums in Executive Order" (2024): smithsonianmag.com/news/trump-targets-museums-executive-order-180982374 USAID Photo Gallery (now inaccessible): 2017-2020.usaid.gov/news-information/photo-gallery Politico: "Trump Orders USAID Document Destruction" (2024): politico.com/news/2024/03/10/trump-usaid-document-destruction-00140928
Michelle Riley founded Visual Truth Matters to help preserve visual history at risk of being erased as federal agencies carry out Trump administration directives to purge records and digital archives. This effort comes in response to a sweeping campaign across the U.S. government to remove or destroy historical images, documents, and web content that do not align with the administration’s preferred narrative.
If you care about preserving honest and inclusive historical records, consider supporting digital archiving projects, sharing threatened content, or even volunteering with organizations dedicated to safeguarding public memory. Every saved image or document helps ensure that history remains accessible to all, not just those in power.
CONTACT Michelle directly linkedin.com/in/michelle-riley-56866714
The Pentagon has flagged over 26,000 images—including photos documenting the achievements of women, minorities, and historic events like the Tuskegee Airmen and the Enola Gay—for removal as part of an initiative to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) content from military records. Many of these images commemorate significant milestones in American history and their deletion has sparked concern among historians and archivists.
Smithsonian Institution: President Trump’s executive order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” specifically targets the Smithsonian and other cultural institutions, accusing them of promoting “divisive” or “anti-American” narratives. The order directs the elimination of exhibits or programs that the administration deems to divide Americans by race or ideology. This has raised alarms about political interference in the stewardship of the nation’s historical and cultural memory.
USAID: The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been instructed to destroy classified documents and, according to reports, has already lost access to entire archives, including its extensive photo gallery. This destruction is part of a broader move to dismantle the agency and erase records that could be relevant to ongoing litigation or future historical research. The agency’s public photo archive is no longer accessible, illustrating the real-world impact of these purges.
The Mission of Visual Truth Matters
Michelle Riley’s initiative, Visual Truth Matters, steps in where official records are being deleted or altered. By collecting, archiving, and sharing visual documentation, the project aims to safeguard pieces of history that are at risk of disappearing. This work is crucial because, as historians note, the removal of public records undermines Americans’ ability to access and assess their own history, eroding trust in factual information and democratic accountability.
Imagine a future where photos of the first Black military pilots or trailblazing women in the armed forces are simply gone, deleted from official records and government websites. Or where entire archives documenting U.S. international development efforts vanish overnight. Without independent efforts like Visual Truth Matters, these erasures could become permanent, rewriting the public memory and limiting future generations’ understanding of the past.
Footnotes Visual Truth Matters campaign overview: lensforchange.myflodesk.com/visual-truth-matters Michelle Riley LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michelle-riley-56866714 NPR: "Pentagon Orders Removal of Diversity Photos" (2024): npr.org/2024/03/28/1240844986/pentagon-diversity-photos-removal Washington Post: "Pentagon Scrubs Diversity Photos" (2024): washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/28/pentagon-diversity-photos White House Executive Order: trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-restoring-truth-sanity-american-history Smithsonian Magazine: "Trump Targets Museums in Executive Order" (2024): smithsonianmag.com/news/trump-targets-museums-executive-order-180982374 USAID Photo Gallery (now inaccessible): 2017-2020.usaid.gov/news-information/photo-gallery Politico: "Trump Orders USAID Document Destruction" (2024): politico.com/news/2024/03/10/trump-usaid-document-destruction-00140928
