Philadelphia suburbs seek to join lawsuit over slavery exhibit removal

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Philadelphia’s collar counties hope to join the city’s lawsuit against the Trump administration in an effort to force the U.S. National Park Service to restore a slavery exhibit at Independence Mall.

Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties filed a motion Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to condemn the removal of educational panels at the President’s House Site.

“The Counties are uniquely positioned, based on their location in the Greater Philadelphia area and shared history with Philadelphia, to offer valuable insight into the importance of maintaining honest and inclusive representation of history at these nationally significant sites,” the filing said.

On Jan. 22, National Park Service employees removed the exhibition that shared information about nine people enslaved by then-President George Washington, prompting swift pushback from the community.

In addition to allegations of “whitewashing,” city officials allege that the Trump administration violated a 2006 cooperative agreement between the National Park Service and Philadelphia that requires the federal government to consult the city on any changes in sites within city limits.

“Instead of whitewashing our history, we should be taking action to ensure that all members of our community, no matter their backgrounds, can live the American Dream,” said Jamila Winder, chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, in a joint press release Monday. “We must stand firm on our convictions that our history makes us stronger, better, and braver.”

In March 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the federal government to ensure that public monuments, markers and statues “do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.”

He specifically singled out Independence National Historic Park for hosting training by an organization that he criticized for dismantling “western foundations” and “interrogating institutional racism.”

Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia said “attempts to erase history” don’t heal the past but instead “make us weak and vulnerable to repeating our failures.”

“Our history is imperfect, but it is ours, and the federal government can’t rewrite it or ignore it the moment they find it inconvenient,” Delaware County Council Chair Richard Womack said in the statement.

Philadelphia-based law firm Ballard Spahr is representing the counties on a pro-bono basis.