Proceedings of the Board of Regents Meeting held on January 30, 1995

When I. Michael Heyman was installed as the tenth Secretary, he inherited several Smithsonian controversies. During the January 1995 Board of Regents meeting, Secretary Heyman discussed strategies about how the Smithsonian might respond to the widespread public criticism of two exhibits, the National Museum of American History’s "Science in American Life” and the National Air and Space Museum’s “The Last Act: The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II.” Heyman was also tasked with swiftly responding to the grim report published by the Task Force on Latino Issues, which concluded that the Smithsonian displayed “a pattern of willful neglect” toward Latinx communities. Join a group of volunpeers in transcribing these meeting minutes from a time when Smithsonian’s reputation was on the line. For more information about these meetings and minutes, explore the finding aid.