• Southern GOP states allocate over $78 million for Black history museums
• Tourism dollars drive Republican support despite Trump administration opposition
• South Carolina Black heritage tourism generates $2.4 billion annually

RALEIGH, N.C. (TDR) — Republican-controlled legislatures across the South are pouring millions into Black history museums and cultural sites, betting on tourism revenue even as President Donald Trump labels such institutions the “last remaining segment of WOKE.” The investments signal a rare split between GOP state leaders and their party’s standard-bearer over cultural policy.

North Carolina allocated $60 million to construct a museum dedicated to the Civil War and Reconstruction era. Texas approved $17 million for two Juneteenth museums exploring emancipation history. Florida lawmakers authorized $1 million for planning the state’s first Black history museum. South Carolina’s Republican-led General Assembly contributed $250,000 to expand the South Carolina Civil Rights Museum in Orangeburg to three times its current size.

Economic incentives outweigh culture wars

Black heritage tourism represents a lucrative market that Republican officials cannot ignore. South Carolina’s International African American Museum in Charleston alone contributes $2.4 billion annually to the state’s economy, according to Renee McDaniel-Newkirk, communications director for the African American Tourism Council.

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“State leaders see the dollars in Black cultural tourism and they’re capitalizing on it,” McDaniel-Newkirk told The Washington Post. She expressed concern, however, that Republican leaders might sanitize painful historical truths to avoid antagonizing Trump’s base.

St. Johns County Commissioner Sarah Arnold, a Florida proponent of Black history museums, framed the initiative purely in economic terms. “I think this is going to be a tide that lifts all boats,” she said. “People go to Orlando for the mouse, they go to South Beach to party, and they come to St. Augustine for history.”

Trump administration cuts federal funding

While state Republicans invest in Black history projects, the Trump administration has slashed federal support for similar institutions nationwide. The Institute of Museum and Library Services canceled tens of millions in grants to African American museums, archives and cultural centers.

The Museum of African American History in Boston lost a $500,000 three-year grant for educational programs. The Whitney Plantation in Louisiana had federal funding terminated for an exhibition documenting enslaved people’s resistance efforts. Letters to affected institutions stated grants were “no longer consistent with the agency’s priorities and no longer serve the interest of the United States.”

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Trump issued an executive order targeting the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, claiming it promoted “divisive, race-centered ideology.” The president tasked Vice President JD Vance with ensuring no federal funding supports “exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values” or “divide Americans based on race.”

Historical accuracy concerns emerge

The state-funded projects face scrutiny over potential compromises to historical integrity. A planner who resigned from North Carolina’s Civil War museum project said organizers focused too heavily on “state’s rights” narratives and told her “we can’t appear too woke.”

Texas State Representative Terri Leo-Wilson, a Republican supporting Juneteenth museums in Galveston, expressed mixed feelings about the projects. “It is hard because you have people that are very polarized on both sides. So this is a big leap of faith for us,” she said, adding concerns the museums could become “too woke” by focusing solely on slavery rather than those who fought to end it.

Historians worry Florida’s planned museum will cater to white tourists rather than provide authentic historical exploration. One unnamed historian told travel publications the facility “will be a nice place for white folks to visit, but not much else.”

Infrastructure of resistance takes root

Despite federal opposition, heritage tourism infrastructure continues expanding across the South. William Ferris, associate director of the Center for the Study of the American South at the University of North Carolina, believes these institutions can outlast political headwinds.

“When you look around the South what you see is that in a quiet and fairly discreet way, we have built an infrastructure to tell these stories and it has become embedded in the system,” Ferris said.

The investments align with broader cultural tourism trends showing heritage sites drive significant economic activity. The global heritage tourism market reached $760 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow at 7.18% annually through 2034.

Republican backing stems partly from observing successful models. Charleston’s International African American Museum, which opened in 2023, attracted visitors nationwide and generated substantial revenue for local businesses including hotels, restaurants and tour operators.

Balancing profits and authenticity

Museum advocates demand projects directly benefit Black communities rather than simply extracting tourism dollars. McDaniel-Newkirk emphasized the importance of ensuring profits support populations whose histories fill these institutions.

The projects also navigate tension between educational mission and political palatability. Museums must decide whether to present unvarnished truths about lynchings, Jim Crow laws and mass incarceration, or soften presentations to avoid controversy.

Trump’s cultural agenda includes redirecting canceled humanities funds toward the National Garden of Heroes, a sculpture garden featuring “250 great individuals from America’s past” scheduled for completion by the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026. The president framed this as “honoring our heroes” rather than “tearing down” history.

State Republicans appear willing to diverge from Trump’s directive, calculating that tourism revenue justifies investments in Black history despite potential backlash from the party’s cultural warriors. Whether these museums tell complete, honest stories or offer sanitized versions remains uncertain as construction proceeds.

Can Republican-funded Black history museums maintain historical integrity while avoiding political controversy from party leadership?

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