On Dr. Lonnie Bunch III's Resignation as Smithsonian Secretary

Dr. Lonnie Bunch III. Photo: The New York Times

Today, Dr. Lonnie Bunch III, the Secretary of the Smithsonian, announced his resignation as the head of the venerable American institution.

I salute Dr. Bunch, the first Black person to helm the institution, for his truly phenomenal work as a scholar and institutional leader. I thank Dr. Bunch for his intrepid defense of science and humanities scholarship, especially at a time of racist onslaught from on high against knowledge institutions in the United States. With remarkable gravitas, Dr. Bunch stood up for the Smithsonian's scholarly autonomy in the face of a regime of philistines and revanchists who insist on erasing memories, archives, histories and cultures of Black, Brown, and Native peoples of the United States from official records, displays, and publications.

Dear Sir, you have fought a good fight, and history will be kind to you. You have earned the right to pull back from the barricades. Let others pick up the battle for America's soul, if they will.

Thank you, sir!