Women’s history is getting a star-studded boost thanks to a seven-figure gift from actress Meryl Streep.
The award winner announced the donation to the National Women’s History Museum on Tuesday, with the goal of ensuring the continued recognition and teaching of women’s contributions.
“History is shaped not only by those who make it, but by those who ensure it is remembered,” Streep said in a statement, shared first with MS NOW. “The National Women’s History Museum has long been a catalyst for bringing forward the stories that deepen our understanding of who we are. I am proud to continue supporting this essential work so that future generations inherit a history that is both truthful and complete.”
The donation comes during Women’s History Month and marks a continuation of support from an actress that has made a career on the portrayals of trailblazing women, from chef Julia Child to Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham. In response, the museum will expand its digital initiatives, giving educators more tools to teach women’s history in classrooms across the country. It is also establishing an award in Streep’s name that honors an exceptional educator each year.
But the spotlight on history “that is both truthful and complete,” in Streep’s words, also comes amid attacks from the Trump administration on diversity, equity and inclusion practices, as well as attempts to sanitize various commemorations of American history.
Just last month, a federal judge ordered the restoration of an exhibit that memorialized George Washington having slaves at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park after a Trump executive order targeted depictions of U.S. history deemed disparaging. That judge cited George Orwell’s “1984” in his order demanding the exhibit’s restoration. Around that same time, the administration backed removing LGBTQ+ pride flags from the Stonewall National Monument in February, an important site in the fight for gay rights. The flag was reinstalled and the administration was sued. Here in Washington, Trump has targeted the Smithsonian with threats of stalling future funding and forcing the review of exhibitions deemed “divisive” or unpatriotic.
Ali Vitali is MS NOW's senior congressional correspondent and the host of "Way Too Early." She is the author of "Electable: Why America Hasn’t Put a Woman in the White House … Yet." Recommended
