Lonnie Bunch: The Legacy of the Smithsonian’s First Black Secretary
- Bunch III, the 14th secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and the first Black man and historian to hold the position, has announced that he will step down at...
- According to The Atlantic, Bunch insisted that the timing of his departure is his own, despite immense pressure applied to the Smithsonian generally and Bunch personally since Donald...
- During the upheavals of 2020 and 2021 following the killing of George Floyd, museum activists criticized cultural institutions for harboring white privilege and colonialism.
Lonnie G. Bunch III, the 14th secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and the first Black man and historian to hold the position, has announced that he will step down at the end of 2026, according to reporting from The Atlantic. Bunch, 73, has led the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex since June 2019, navigating intense political pressures and public reckonings over how American history is presented.
A Tenue Defined by Institutional Resilience and Leadership
According to The Atlantic, Bunch insisted that the timing of his departure is his own, despite immense pressure applied to the Smithsonian generally and Bunch personally since Donald Trump returned to office. Chief Justice John Roberts, who serves as the Smithsonian’s chancellor, stated that Bunch has pursued excellence in the telling of our nation’s story and that the institution benefited greatly from his wisdom, vision, and leadership. Bunch has worked at the Smithsonian since 1978, with career interruptions that included stints at the California African American Museum in the 1980s and the Chicago Historical Society in the early 2000s. His greatest achievement prior to becoming secretary was planning, raising funds for, and launching the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened in 2016.
Navigating Political Pressure and Cultural Upheaval
During the upheavals of 2020 and 2021 following the killing of George Floyd, museum activists criticized cultural institutions for harboring white privilege and colonialism. According to The Atlantic, Bunch addressed these critiques with calm and compassion. When Trump returned to power, the administration targeted the Smithsonian over its efforts to tell a fuller American story that critics argued focused too heavily on moral failure and oppression. In March 2025, an executive order claimed the Smithsonian had come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology. The administration subsequently targeted National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet, who resigned, and ramped up pressure on the institution with threats of pulled funding. Throughout these challenges, Bunch balanced diplomacy with firm adherence to institutional principles.
