Lonnie Bunch Protected the Smithsonian From More Than Trump
As pressures bore down on an American institution, its secretary held firm.
TL;DR
- Lonnie G. Bunch III will step down as secretary of the Smithsonian Institution at the end of the year.
- Bunch, the 14th secretary and the first Black man to hold the position, led the Smithsonian from June 2019.
- He guided the institution through a period of pressure from the Trump administration and accusations from activists regarding historical narratives.
- Bunch's leadership involved principled stances, deft political skills, and a belief in the Smithsonian's role as 'part of the glue' that holds the country together.
- His prior achievement of planning and launching the National Museum of African American History and Culture is highlighted.
- The article contrasts the Smithsonian's historical actions, such as refusing to allow Frederick Douglass to speak, with its current state under Bunch's leadership.
- Conflicts arose with White House officials who disagreed with the "fuller American story" being told, which focused on moral failure, hypocrisy, and oppression.