Plaskett Denounces Removal of Historical Markers at Virgin Islands National Park

V.I. Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett has condemned what she describes as a sweeping federal directive that has led to the removal of historical markers at national parks across the country, including within the Virgin Islands National Park, where signs and exhibits documenting the territory’s history are being taken down, according to a release from Ms. Plaskett's office.

She says the directive stems from President Donald Trump’s March 2025 Executive Order 14253, titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” Ms. Plaskett said the order has resulted in the removal or modification of displays addressing Native American history, climate change, and the treatment of enslaved peoples at parks such as the Grand Canyon, Glacier, Big Bend, and Grand Teton.

In the Virgin Islands, the impact has reached the Virgin Islands National Park on St. John, which protects more than 7,000 acres and preserves historical and cultural landmarks that trace the territory’s past. Among them are Taino archaeological sites documenting indigenous life and the ruins of sugar plantations that stand as testament to the forced labor of enslaved Africans who built the colonial economy.

Plaskett said the removal of these historical markers undermines efforts to preserve and teach the full history of the territory.