The Arlington National Cemetery has removed key information from its website about prominent Black, Hispanic, and female service members as well as historical topics like the Civil War.
The moves are part of a broader initiative by the Department of Defense to do away with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the Washington Post reported.
A spokesperson for the cemetery confirmed on Friday that, in compliance with new Pentagon directives, internal links leading to webpages about notable veterans who were minoritiesâsuch as Gen. Colin Powell, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and members of the all-Black, all-female 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalionâwere taken down.
Educational material on the Civil War and Medal of Honor recipients has also been completely removed, leaving only a brief mention of the cemeteryâs connection to the conflict.

These deletions follow a series of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump banning DEI across the federal government. In accordance with the directives, Pentagon leaders have been tasked with purging content that âpromotesâ DEI on military websites.
âWe are proud of our educational content and programming and working diligently to return removed content to ensure alignment with Department of Defense instruction 5400.17 and Executive Orders issued by the President,â a cemetery spokesperson told the Post in a statement.
They added: âWe remain committed to sharing the stories of military service and sacrifice to the nation with transparency and professionalism, while continuing to engage with our community in a manner that reflects our core values.â

Historian Kevin M. Levin first noted the removals in his Substack, âCivil War Memory,â which was further reported on by military news site Task & Purpose. The removals have drawn sharp criticism from educators and historians, who argue that the changes erase vital pieces of American history.
Levin, a Boston-based author and former teacher, expressed disappointment over the loss of accessible material about influential individuals like Captain Joy Bright Hancock, one of the militaryâs first woman officers, and Major General Marcelite Jordan Harris, the Air Forceâs first female, African-American general officer.
âItâs incredibly unfortunate. This is just the kind of history that we want students to be learning, a history that allows students from different backgrounds to make a meaningful connection with one of our sacred sites,â Levin told the Post.

Some of the removed content is still accessible through active links to pages on âProminent Military Figuresâ and âU.S. Supreme Court,â but the categories âAfrican American History,â âHispanic American History,â and âWomenâs Historyâ no longer appear prominently on the site.
The cemeteryâs website, a key resource for educators and visitors, once provided lesson plans, walking tours, and detailed profiles of military heroes. Now, many of these resources have been scrubbed.
âThis is a place where history comes alive, and you feel it when youâre there,â Levin said. âEven if you canât bring your students there, you can bring the stories to them in the classroom. Thereâs a story there for everyone to connect to.â