Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham is blasting the Alamo Trust after the official social media accounts for the historic site posted a message this week recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day rather than Columbus Day.
The since-deleted post read, “Today, we honor Indigenous Peoples and their communities, recognizing their history at the Alamo. Opening in 2027, the Alamo Visitor Center and Museum will feature an Indigenous Peoples Gallery, celebrating the bands, clans, and tribes that shaped the region. #IndigenousPeoplesDay.”
The message drew swift criticism online from Texans who accused the Alamo Trust of promoting a political narrative at odds with the Alamo’s history. Within hours, Buckingham—whose office oversees the Alamo—repudiated the post and announced an internal investigation.
“I did NOT authorize this post. This is frankly unacceptable and it has been deleted,” Buckingham wrote on X. “Woke has no place at the Alamo. The [Texas General Land Office] is investigating how the Alamo Trust reviews and approves content for social media posts to Official Alamo accounts. We will be holding those responsible accountable and will be implementing a new process to ensure my office has oversight.”
Texas Scorecard has obtained a letter Buckingham sent to members of the Alamo Trust Board following the incident. In the letter, she accuses the Trust’s leadership and communications staff of being “misaligned with the culture of The Alamo” and demands the names of those responsible for drafting and approving the post.
“This blatant disregard of the battle-centric focus of The Alamo—that most Texans expect—the liberty or death history, must be addressed immediately,” Buckingham wrote.
Buckingham also referenced what she described as a recurring problem with the Trust’s messaging and priorities. She pointed to a previous controversy involving a proposed “Land Acknowledgement” plaque slated for display inside the upcoming Alamo Visitor Center and Museum.
That draft script, according to Buckingham, mentioned the words “slavery” or “enslaved” roughly seventy times, while “freedom” appeared only once and “liberty” just thirteen times. She said such imbalance reflected a pattern of behavior “completely misaligned with the priorities of my office and the vast majority of Texans who care so deeply for our Shrine of Liberty.”
“As Texas Land Commissioner, I feel duty bound to bring these concerns to your attention and have serious doubts about the lack of oversight and accountability on display with multiple issues, as well as the aforementioned posts,” Buckingham told board members. “We owe it to all Texans, including future generations, to preserve, protect, and defend our proud Texas history, without succumbing to the pitfalls of modern ideology.”
Her letter also criticized the Alamo Trust’s leadership team, including CEO Kate Rogers, for what she characterized as ongoing failures to prevent politically charged missteps. While a plan to provide weekly social media reports to the GLO has been proposed, Buckingham said it was “too little, too late” and urged the board to implement immediate accountability measures.
The Alamo Trust manages day-to-day operations and long-term restoration projects for the site under the oversight of the General Land Office.
Buckingham’s letter ends by calling for a full report to the GLO following the Alamo Trust’s October 15 board meeting, at which she expects the issue of oversight—and potential personnel changes—to be addressed directly.
“I anticipate a swift response after the October 15th board meeting concludes on how we will address these concerns and who is being held accountable,” she wrote.
