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CultureQuiet 3d · day 4

Lonnie Bunch III retires as Smithsonian Secretary

The first African American and historian to lead the 180-year institution steps down at 73.

newest coverage 2d agosummary written 2d ago6 pieces2 likes & upvotes MastodonNewswiresGoogle News

What to know

  • Lonnie G. Bunch III, the first African American and first historian to lead the Smithsonian Institution, is retiring at age 73 after seven years in the role.
  • Bunch has emphasized the institution's mission to tell difficult historical truths and protect a complete picture of American history, resisting pressure from the Trump White House questioning staff patriotism.
  • His tenure marked a shift toward inclusive storytelling, as evidenced by his invocation of Frederick Douglass at his 2019 installation ceremony.

“I kept thinking about Frederick Douglass, and I really wanted to say, 'He's now speaking.' I just wanted to signal that I will never be afraid of telling truthful stories, no matter how hard or how painful they are.”

Lonnie G. Bunch III, Retiring Smithsonian Secretary · CBS News ↗

Lonnie G. Bunch III Retiring Smithsonian SecretaryMichael Collins Former Air and Space Museum director and Apollo 11 astronaut

Lonnie Bunch III retires as Smithsonian Secretary
cbsnews.com

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

Peak 3 pieces in one hour at Sep 20, 9 AM; 6 pieces over 4 days (3 articles · 3 posts) Sep 20, 8 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Sep 20, 9 AM — 3 pieces · 2 articles · 1 post — Google News 1, Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Sep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 11 AM — quietSep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 1 PM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 3 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 5 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 7 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — quietSep 20, 9 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 11 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — quietSep 21, 1 AM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 3 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 5 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 7 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 9 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 11 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — quietSep 21, 1 PM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 3 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 21, 7 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quiet 1
Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 7:48 AM ET
  1. 1

    Bunch discusses Trump White House pressure on Smithsonian patriotism

    In a CBS News interview, Bunch addressed pressure from the Trump White House that questioned the patriotism of Smithsonian staff, and articulated the museum's mission to give America a full picture of itself.

    “You can run from history, but you can't hide.”
    — Lonnie G. Bunch III
  2. background

    Bunch announces retirement — At age 73, Bunch announced he is retiring from his role as Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, overseeing 20 museums and the National Zoo.

  3. background

    Bunch signals commitment to truthful storytelling at installation — At his installation ceremony, Bunch invoked Frederick Douglass and pledged to tell difficult stories without fear, despite the painful nature of some historical truths.

  4. background

    Lonnie Bunch becomes first African American Smithsonian Secretary — Bunch was appointed Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, becoming both the first historian and first African American to hold the position in the institution's 180-year history.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 1 outlet Retiring Smithsonian head Lonnie Bunch on protecting history

    first by CBS News, 3d ago

    1 more headline