A quick guide to Kwanzaa
The holiday, which serves as a nationwide communal event reinforcing self-determination and unity in the face of oppression, spans seven…
Dr. Lonnie G. Bunch III poses with his President's Award backstage at the 48th NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena, California, on February 11, 2017. Photo by Danny Moloshok/Reuters
Lonnie Bunch to become the first African American to lead the Smithsonian Institution
The founding director of the Smithsonian's museum about African American history will now lead the entire system of museums and parks.
The Smithsonian Institution on Tuesday named Lonnie Bunch as its 14th secretary. He will become the first African American to lead the Smithsonian, which includes the world's largest museum, education and research complex, with 19 museums and the National Zoological Park.
Bunch was the first director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
In an interview before the museum's opening in 2016 with the PBS NewsHour's Gwen Ifill, Bunch said he hoped it would be "a place that is the great convener, that can bring anybody and everybody into a conversation around race."
WATCH: Gwen Ifill interviews Lonnie Bunch, director of Smithsonian African American History Museum
Bunch was hired in 2005 and shepherded the collection of more than 40,000 items and the creation of the museum on the National Mall.
He told Ifill that he was struck by the generosity of people who donated items to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and that the "amazing" philanthropy by African Americans "will change the way the Smithsonian and other cultural institutions will do their work in the future."
Bunch's efforts to gather historically significant artifacts did not stop with museum's opening.
He has spearheaded efforts to collect items from the Black Lives Matter movements and other significant events as a way to preserve and shape the way Americans view history.
"I know as a scholar of African American history there were many times I wanted to do exhibitions and there was nothing in the collections that could tell those stories. That shapes history by omission," Bunch told PBS NewsHour Weekend in a 2018 interview.
Bunch will take over the helm at the Smithsonian Institution on June 16.
Support Canvas
Sustain our coverage of culture, arts and literature.
More Stories
Watch
The cultural significance of the movies just added to the National Film Registry
The Library of Congress announced the 25 films that made it into this year's National Film Registry. The registry, started…
One of India's most accomplished classical musicians, Zakir Hussain, dies at 73
Zakir Hussain, one of India's most accomplished classical musicians who defied genres and introduced tabla to global audiences, died on…
Watch
New era in chess: Levy Rozman discusses Gukesh Dommaraju becoming youngest world champion
The newest world chess champion is also the youngest ever to claim the title. Eighteen-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju, who defeated defending…
Watch
Amy Sherald on the gaze and humanity of her portraits
She has painted portraits of Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor. But much of Amy Sherald's work is about filling in…
Watch
Gwen Ifill featured in PBS Kids series, 'Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum'
The animated PBS Kids series, "Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum," follows Xavier as he, his sister and friend meet…
Watch
Stevenson reflects on inequities in justice system 10 years after release of 'Just Mercy'
Bryan Stevenson, the prominent lawyer and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, has blazed a trail representing the poor,…
Watch
Longtime court sketch artist Bill Hennessy Jr. dies
Longtime court sketch artist Bill Hennessy, who captured history with his sketchbook for more than 40 years died on Monday…
Watch
Remembering the fierce and lyrical voice of poet Nikki Giovanni
Nikki Giovanni, a fierce and lyrical voice of the Black experience, has died. Giovanni's work illuminated love, liberation and the…
Poet Nikki Giovanni, author and literary celebrity, has died at 81
Author of more than 25 books, Giovanni was a born confessor and performer whom fans came to know her well…
Watch
This arts program offers new approach to rehab and re-entry
A tried and true program in East L.A. helps former gang members, drug users and those leaving incarceration build a…
Golden Globe nominations announced, musical 'Emilia Pérez' leads with 10 nominations
The nominations for Globes, which will be televised by CBS and streamed on Paramount+ on Jan. 5, were announced on…
The end of the Eras tour marks a bittersweet moment for Taylor Swift fans
After more than 150 shows across five continents over nearly two years, the global phenomenon that is Taylor Swift's Eras…
Merriam-Webster's 2024 word of the year: 'polarization'
"Polarization means division, but it's a very specific kind of division," said Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster's editor at large, in an…
Watch
A student and teacher connect over small acts of kindness that made a big difference
In 1958, when John Cruitt's mother died, his third-grade teacher made a small gesture of kindness that meant a great…