He is also the first historian elected Secretary and the first museum director to ascend to Secretary in 74 years. My kids went to preschool here. Installation view of “City of Hope: Resurrection City & the 1968 Poor People's Campaign” at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, 2020. And you talk openly about your commitment to diversity.

The following forms are to be used when requesting the Secretary's time for an event, meeting or travel: Please contact the Secretary's office at SmithsonianSecretary@si.edu or (202) 633-1846 with any questions about or to submit requests for the Secretary's time. Well, I think, in some ways, it is recognizing that the Smithsonian is unbelievably venerated and visited. Media bio » Lonnie G. Bunch III was installed as the Fourteenth Secretary of the Smithsonian on November 1, 2019 in the historic Arts and Industries Building. Then he was the founding director of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, one of the hottest tickets in Washington. My whole career has been about expanding the canon, making sure that the history, the culture that is explored reflects the diversity of America. Subscribe to ‘Here's the Deal,’ our politics newsletter.
And while it is valuable to have visible representation, it is far from the only thing that makes an institution work.

and M.A. So, for me, it's about helping the Smithsonian be the place that is the glue for America, and that helps America grapple with who it is, helps it understand itself and its world. Lonnie Bunch, the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, stands for a portrait at his office. And I didn't understand that. "[7], He graduated from Belleville High School in 1970. And so the key is to just be clear with it, so people understand, not that there is a political agenda, but that we're really saying, the Smithsonian is an educational institution, and it's our opportunity and responsibility to help you understand the world you're grappling with today, so to make sure that what we're doing is not just educating within our spaces, but really shaping the educational system of America. Previously, Bunch was the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. There is also the very real issue of funding. Nonetheless, he's focused on telling a compelling historical story that resonates with all visitors and excludes no one. Courtesy of Lonnie Bunch and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. In 2019, he was awarded the Freedom Medal, one of the Four Freedom Awards from the Roosevelt Institute, for his contribution to American culture as a historian and storyteller; the W.E.B. We are thrilled to announce that our Board of Regents has elected Lonnie G. Bunch III as the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, effective June 16.

Bunch recalled that as a kid, he and his friends would sit together on the front porch and talk about what they would do after they graduated high school. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/lonnie-bunch-on-how-the-smithsonian-can-help-america-understand-its-identity, Lonnie Bunch to become the first African American to lead the Smithsonian Institution, Full interview: Lonnie Bunch, director of Smithsonian African American History Museum, German Chancellor Angela Merkel awarded a Harvard honorary degree, Architect on African American History Museum’s unique exterior, WATCH: Trump, Biden appeal to Catholics at virtual charity dinner, How some older Americans are monetizing their #VanLife, How three prior pandemics triggered massive societal shifts, Top Trump aide Hope Hicks tests positive for coronavirus, WATCH: Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany defends Trump’s stance on white supremacy, Democrats press ahead on partisan COVID-19 bill as talks drag, WATCH: Schumer slams GOP senators in vote to protect ACA, WATCH: House Minority Leader McCarthy slams Pelosi on COVID-19 relief, Russia’s Navalny accuses Putin of being behind his poisoning, Push to bring coronavirus vaccines to those in poverty faces trouble, Report finds flaws in Catholic Church abuse-prevention plans, Many pregnant people aren’t getting flu shots, but these bills could help, The world’s southernmost tree hangs on in one of the windiest places on Earth – but climate change is shifting those winds, WikiLeaks’ Assange won’t get U.S. extradition ruling this year, national museum of african american history and culture. James H. Wallace, March through Chapel Hill, 1964. [8] Bunch credits his childhood experiences with local Italian immigrants and his reading of biographies as a youth with inspiring him to study history.

He will soon become the Smithsonian Institution's new secretary.

He was promoted to Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs at the museum before leaving in 2000 to become the president of one of the nation's oldest museums in history, the Chicago Historical Society, from 2001 to 2005. Born in Belleville, New Jersey, Bunch has held numerous teaching positions at universities across the country, including American University in Washington, D.C., the University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth and George Washington University in Washington, D.C. With, “The Smithsonian is like every museum in the country,” he said. “I’ve always said that my sole goal is not to diversify, my sole goal is to make an institution better. “Scholarship should shape what you do in part because it gives you credibility in places like the Smithsonian,” he said. Previously, Bunch was the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. It brought tears to my eyes too.

Oct 01 He also developed “Smithsonian’s America” for the American Festival Japan 1994; this exhibition, which was presented in Japan, explored the history, culture and diversity of the United States. And we're very good, better on issues of gender. Courtesy of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Chicago's politics are pretty interesting as well.

Years before he assumed leadership at the NMAAHC, Bunch worked as an associate director and curator at the Museum of American History and as a historian at the Air and Space Museum. Lonnie Bunch is an educator who was a Professor at the University of Maryland. “What COVID-19 has taught us is that more people are comfortable receiving content digitally than ever before,” Bunch said. Top Trump aide Hope Hicks tests positive for coronavirus, Read Driven by optimism, determination and a commitment to build “a place that would make America better,” Bunch transformed a vision into a bold reality. Once the buildings reopen, the brick-and-mortar museum experience will return gradually, but many digital strategies developed over the last five months will remain. "And if we can help the public become comfortable with wrestling with the shades of gray then we've really made a contribution.".

With so many big decisions to make, Bunch said he likes to surround himself with a few reminders of the Smithsonian's massive collection that have personal meaning for him. “Museums become better places when they recognize that they can’t be community centers, but they could be at the center of their communities,” he recently said.

Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff is the anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour. The founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Bunch has dedicated his life to telling a fuller, rounder and more complex historical narrative. The Smithsonian is a place that's as much about today and tomorrow as it is about yesterday. Bunch previously served as president and director of the Chicago History Museum (Chicago Historical Society) from 2000 to 2005. For general inquiries to the Secretary's Office, please email or call: SmithsonianSecretary@si.edu
Learn more about Friends of the NewsHour. Lonnie G. Bunch III is the Smithsonian's 14th Secretary and the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Lonnie G. Bunch III is the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian.

So, for me, it's really trying to find the balance between the traditions and innovation. A widely published author, Bunch has written on topics ranging from the black military experience, the American presidency and all-black towns in the American West to diversity in museum management and the impact of funding and politics on American museums. And I thought that history would be my way of understanding myself. “I’ve dedicated my life to giving voice to those that have been silent.

[4], Bunch was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1952[5] to Lonnie Bunch II (a science and chemistry public school teacher) and Montrose Bunch (a third-grade teacher public school teacher),[6] both graduates of Shaw University. Bunch may be looking ahead, but there are still the everyday concerns that come with running a nearly 200-year-old institution—issues that have become more apparent as the institution manages its ongoing closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. You're always looking, how do you contextualize, how do you help people understand by looking back? So, that, to me, is the great joy of the Smithsonian. The breadth of the Smithsonian is part of the wonder of it. Courtesy of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. I'm proud of you, sir. Thank you. Museums aren’t just for scholars, and an institution like the Smithsonian is very much for the people—in 2019, Smithsonian museums welcomed over 20 million visitors. Symbolism isn’t Bunch’s goal. Well, I think it's already there.

Anne Azzi Davenport. Partly, I learned a lot in Chicago.

Occupying a prominent location next to the Washington Monument, the nearly 400,000-square-foot National Museum of African American History and Culture is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting and showcasing the African American story and its impact on American and world history. with Spencer R. Crew, Mark G. Hirsch and Harry R. Rubenstein, 2000. with Donna M. Wells, David E. Haberstitch and Deborah Willis, 2009. with Spencer R. Crew and Clement A. Shuran Huang/NPR Courtesy of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. “In essence, what you want is people to realize that this is a commitment, a transformative commitment.”. Courtesy of Lonnie Bunch and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. He has always been committed to involving experts, Bivins said, but “exhibits are not necessarily for academic audiences. We talked in his office about the challenges that lie ahead, as he now oversees a $1.6 billion annual budget that supports 19 museums free to the public, nine research centers, 21 libraries and the National Zoo.

Join to Connect. Exterior view of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Secretary Bunch with the ceremonial key to the Smithsonian Castle, Assistant Secretary for Communications and External Affairs, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art. If man could accomplish these kinds of things, as long as you're educated, you can contribute to making the better. Courtesy of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. You have written about the influence of politics in funding of museums.