With Lonnie Bunch’s ouster, Trump chills free speech at the Smithsonian 

The Smithsonian Institution is a group of museums, education and research centers, created by Congress as a trust in 1846 “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” About 62 percent of its funding comes from the federal government. The Smithsonian is supposed to be independent of the executive branch. A bipartisan board of regents runs the show. 

The Smithsonian’s first Black chieftain, Lonnie G. Bunch III 73, announced his retirement last week after more than seven years in the institution’s top job. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who serves as the Smithsonian’s chancellor, lauded Bunch for “excellence in the telling of our nation’s story,” stating that the Smithsonian had “benefited greatly from his wisdom, vision and leadership.”  

The truth is Trump forced Bunch out of his job, heralding a tectonic shift in institutional purpose.  

Over nearly 40 years in various roles at the Smithsonian, Bunch proved himself as an effective advocate and diplomat, and an incredible fundraiser. As the institution’s guiding spirit, he was also a forceful voice on race, particularly after the 2017 Charlottesville incident and George Floyd’s 2020 Minneapolis murder. 

Bunch is a man of considerable soft-spoken warmth. I met him in New York last June when he was honored by the conservative Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History for his contributions to history, education and scholarship. He left an indelible impression. The son of two teachers, his love of history was palpable as he said eloquently, “there is nothing more powerful than a people, than a nation, steeped in its history. And there’s nothing more noble than honoring all our ancestors by remembering.”  

What........

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