Buckle up, kids, because it's about to get worse before it gets better. That's not my natural pessimism talking, it's a categorical truth.
On February 7, I was talking with my father on the phone when an article appeared in my Bluesky feed stating that Colleen Shogan, the Archivist of the United States (AOTUS), was fired by Trump with no reason given for her dismissal. As of the writing of this article, the acting director of the National Archives, Deputy Archivist William Bosanko, resigned, after an ultimatum was issued to him to do so or be fired. That leaves the leadership of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) open to whomever the fascist regime wants to be in charge of the country's historical narrative.
It's worth noting that Shogan's firing isn't illegal, the President isn't required to give cause nor is there a timeline or deadline that mandates communication of his intent. It's just another decision made out of pettiness that advances Trump's fascist agenda. But anyone who might be in a position to oppose or disrupt the flagrant dismantling of the country's institutions that deal in information either isn't paying attention, lacks incentive to do so, or is complying in advance. Pick your poison.
Shogan's dismissal isn't even all that surprising given Trump's had it out for the National Archives since he got caught with hundreds of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago property and tried to claim executive privilege to retain them indefinitely. What is surprising is he'd fire someone who's not only tied to the Koch Brothers and their libertarian nonsense through her husband, Rob Raffety, but is also friends with Trump's wife, Melania. I guess conveniently providing photo-ops and platforms doesn't get you what it used to.
And in case you need a refresher on what NARA and the AOTUS does for this country, here's a list provided by Dominic Byrd-McDevitt:
The Archivist of the United States is responsible for administering the Electoral College process. They provide official instructions to the states on how to carry out their Electoral College voting, transmit their electors’ votes, and receive and validate the certificates before public viewing and permanent preservation.
The National Archives is responsible for publishing the Code of Federal Regulations, the official document codifying all regulations of federal agencies, and the Federal Register, where the government gives notice of presidential actions, public meetings, and any proposed changes to federal regulations before their required public comment period.
The National Archives is responsible for administering the Constitutional amendment process. The Archivist would receive any proposed amendment from Congress and transmit it to the states with instructions. They then receive and authenticate any ratification documents from the states. When sufficient states ratify, the Archivist is the one that formally certifies that the Constitution has been amended, with an official proclamation.
As the National Archives states in all of its rulemaking postings, “Agencies may not destroy Federal records without the approval of the Archivist of the United States.” The National archives maintains records schedules, mandatory rules for agencies about how to retain records, and can determine which records are temporary (not permanently preserved). When these are violated, NARA can investigate and conduct oversight.
The National Archives houses the National Personnel Records Center for the federal government. This is where all the personnel files of all federal employees are transferred after they separate from the government. Agencies have been charged with making lists of employees engaged in certain jobs for the White House, but it is worth noting any federal worker who ever left the government before now also has a file at the NPRC.
The National Archives has important roles in the classification process, including housing the Information Security Oversight Office and the National Declassification Center. In addition, the National Archives receives classified documents from the government for retention, as was widely reported during the president’s related criminal indictment. ISOO is the office that, by law, must be notified by anyone who encounters mishandled classified documents.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) ensures that citizens have the ability to hold the government accountable by establishing a right to access public records. It is a crucial tool for journalists. National Archives’ Office of Government Information Services is the ombudsman for the federal FOIA program, receiving public complaints about violations of the law and producing compliance reports on agencies.
Now, you might be wondering what the Society of American Archivists (SAA), the professional association that's supposed to advocate for archivists, had to say about Shogan's firing. After all, SAA gave her a platform to justify her sanitization of American history at the National Archives not too long ago. You'd think they'd be chomping at the bit to defend her. Well it only took a week, but SAA finally distributed a press release stating its alarm at the situation, that archivists around the country should contact their legislators, and that they'll be monitoring the "situation at NARA" closely. Nowhere did they mention anything about the active erasure of data and information from government websites that's been going on since Trump and his cronies took office, which is also something SAA should be "alarmed" about, but not as much as telling us they're upset about Shogan and maybe we should do something about it, I guess.
In case you can't tell, I'm not in the best of moods. Nor will I be for the foreseeable future.
Say, here's something SAA could do: Not hold an annual meeting in Washington, DC. There tends to be one every few years in the nation's capital, and I'm sure one is on the books within the next four years, so maybe we don't give them our money in protest of not just Trump but whichever Nazi he puts in charge of NARA.
But what can we do as archivists or supporters of the archives?
Tell our Senators to oppose whoever Trump tries to appoint as the next AOTUS. It still has to go through the committee process, so tying that up for as long as possible would be ideal.
Support your local libraries, archives, historical societies, through funding efforts, public outreach, volunteer work, etc. Every little bit helps.
Stay informed. Control of the narrative is part of the fascist playbook and they will pull every trick they've got. Mainstream media is funded by corporations who've already fallen in line, so seeking out independent journalists is your best bet.
Take care of yourself and each other. Radical empathy doesn't just apply to how archivists can approach their holdings. The most punk thing you can do right now is give a shit.