“The right kind of Black” for the Smithsonian?

A civil rights veteran. A $35,000 private rental offer. Then silence from the museum dedicated to his history.

THE BIG FACTS

• Shelby Steele was born into segregation, marched for civil rights and became one of America’s most prominent writers on race. Now his son can’t get an answer from the Smithsonian’s African American history museum about screening a documentary based on his work.

• The museum has screened 13th and I Am Not Your Negro. But a film challenging progressive views on race? The Steeles’ request for a public screening remains unanswered.

• What they did get was a $35,000 private rental offer. After the museum deemed their proposed dates unavailable, it offered that option when they asked about alternatives.

• They clarified they wanted a public screening and were flexible on dates. The museum went silent. It also didn’t respond when Fox News Digital asked for comment.

• “Do you have to be the right kind of Black to be shown at the Smithsonian?” That’s the question filmmaker Eli Steele is asking.

Smithsonian screening dispute puts museum's commitment to diverse views on trial: 'Right kind of Black?'

Fox News
By Robert Schmad

A Black conservative filmmaker is challenging the Smithsonian to explain why his documentary questioning progressive views on race has yet to secure a public screening at its African American history museum, which has previously showcased films examining systemic racism.

"White Guilt," directed and co-produced by Eli Steele, is based on a book by his father, noted Black conservative academic Shelby Steele. The younger Steele, who is Black, Jewish, and deaf, has drawn on his own experiences to challenge prevailing views on race and identity.

The documentary argues that White guilt over America's racial history, along with fears of being labeled racist, has pushed institutions to prioritize racial identity over individual merit.

The dispute comes as the Smithsonian faces mounting pressure from President Donald Trump and his administration over allegations of ideological bias in its portrayal of American history. The White House has accused the institution of promoting progressive narratives and threatened to restrict federal support, escalating a broader battle over whose perspectives are represented in the nation's museums.

Steele provided communications to Fox News Digital showing that the museum declined his proposed screening dates and offered him a private rental option instead. The filmmaker says the museum has yet to respond to his request for alternative dates for a public screening.

“The film is professionally shot, the quality is there. A comparable film that they've shown is ‘13th,’ which itself is a very controversial film,” Steele told Fox News Digital.