National African American Museum Faces Uncertainty Without Its Leader

Art & Design|National African American Museum Faces Uncertainty Without Its Leader

In the eight years since it opened on the National Mall, the National Museum of African American History and Culture has become one of the glittering jewels of the Smithsonian Institution.

With award-winning architecture, a three-tiered shape evoking a traditional Yoruban crown, and installations portraying the struggles and triumphs of African Americans, the museum registered its 10 millionth visitor in 2023, and is one of the Smithsonian’s most popular museums.

But now it is in the cross-hairs of President Trump, who issued an executive order in March that seeks to address what he described as the Smithsonian’s promotion of “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive,” singling out the African American museum as a particular offender.

The president’s order has left the museum trying to navigate its most challenging political environment at a moment when it finds itself without a permanent leader. Its director, Kevin Young, was on leave when the order was issued and left soon afterward.

Some see the museum as threatened.

Several hundred protesters marched to the museum on Saturday, demanding that Black history and the museums that explore it be protected from interference. Some of the protesters brandished homemade signs, like one with the museum’s initials — “I ♥ NMAAHC” — while others wore badges that said “I Take My History Black.”

“So much of Black history was lost and was recaptured,” said Beatrice Turpin-Peek, 59, from Maryland, who joined the march. “To hear that it’s under attack — it’s just heartbreaking.”