Taking James Baldwin’s statement “it is the past that makes the present coherent” as a point of departure, President Cristle Collins Judd will engage in a conversation with Lonnie Bunch, Secretary of the Smithsonian. The conversation will explore the specific role of and challenges for museums in using the past to make the present coherent, considering questions including: What does it mean to tell history through objects? Whose stories do museums tell, how, and to whom? Who “owns” the past? What ethical obligations do museums face regarding questions of preservation and cultural heritage repatriation?
As the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian, Lonnie Bunch oversees 21 museums, 21 libraries, the National Zoo, numerous research centers, and several education units and centers. Bunch was the founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. He chronicled the creation of the museum in his book, A Fool’s Errand: Building the National Museum of African American History and Culture in the Age of Bush, Obama, and Trump, and is the first historian to be Secretary of the Institution. In 2021, he received France’s highest award, The Legion of Honor.
A continuation of the History Matters series, this event will be held on campus and is open to attend in person or virtually.
Lonnie G. Bunch III is the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian. He assumed his position June 16, 2019. As Secretary, he oversees 21 museums, 21 libraries, the National Zoo, numerous research centers, and several education units and centers. Two new museums—the National Museum of the American Latino and the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum—are in development. Bunch was the founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. He chronicled the creation of the museum in his book, A Fool’s Errand: Building the National Museum of African American History and Culture in the Age of Bush, Obama, and Trump, and is the first historian to be Secretary of the Institution. In 2021, he received France’s highest award, The Legion of Honor.