American_history_v9_final_FINAL_THIS ONE

Today, Explained

Vox

Daily News, Politics, News

4.4 • 9.5K Ratings

🗓️ 21 April 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Government websites have erased references to American heroes like Harriet Tubman and Jackie Robinson in order to comply with Trump’s anti-DEI push. But America is no stranger to revisionist history. This episode was produced by Amanda Lewellyn, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boyd and Andrea Kristinsdottir, and hosted by Noel King. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast. Jackie Robinson, who integrated Major League Baseball in 1947, posing in his batting stance. Photo credit Bettmann/Getty Images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Mr. Jackie Robinson, number 42, integrated baseball, not because DEI, but because he was so good that, to paraphrase his manager, I don't care if the guy is yellow or black, or if he has stripes like a fucking zebra, he can make us all rich.
0:14.0	Jackie Robinson steps in against Ford.
0:17.6	Deep into left center, Irv Noren races after Robinson's blast.
0:21.3	Jackie really teed off on Ford.
0:24.8	He also served in the military, during which time he was court-martialed after peacefully
0:29.7	refusing to move to the back of an army bus.
0:32.2	He was acquitted.
0:33.3	The Department of Defense website featured Robinson in a section called Sports Heroes
0:37.6	Who Served until March 19th, when his page disappeared and the URL redirected to one that
0:43.9	had the letters DEI in front of sports heroes.
0:47.3	A Pentagon spokesman defended the removal, but about 90 minutes later, the page was restored.
0:52.7	That spokesman resigned last week.
0:55.0	Ahead on today explained, the Trump administration tries to rewrite history.
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	...

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