Kevin Young, the director of the Smithsonian‘s National Museum of African American History and Culture, has stepped down from his role.
Young, who has led the institution since 2021, stepped down on Friday (4 April) after four years in the role, the New York Times reports.
In a statement, the museum said that Young said he wanted to focus on his writing. He still serves as the poetry editor of The New Yorker.
His departure from the museum comes as US President Donald Trump has targeted the Smithsonian Institution in an executive order.
The order states that Congress should not fund Smithsonian exhibits and programmes that “divide Americans by race”.
Titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History”, it explicitly mentions the National Museum of African American History.
The order instructs Vice-President JD Vance, who became a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents due to his position in government, to remove any “improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology” from the institution’s sites.
Trump executive order targets Smithsonian
However, Young had already gone on personal leave before the order was issued, on 14 March, the Washington Post reported.
Since then, the museum’s associate director of operations, Shanita Brackett, has been working as interim director.
The National Museum of African American History opened in 2016. Young became its second director in 2020, after founding director Lonnie Bunch, now secretary of the Smithsonian.
After Trump’s executive order, Bunch sent an email to Smithsonian employees last week that said the organisation will “remain committed to telling the multifaceted stories of this country’s extraordinary heritage”.
The Smithsonian museums welcome between 15 to 30 million visitors annually without charge. The institution manages 21 locations across Washington, Virginia and New York.
Earlier this year, Trump signed several orders to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programmes from the federal government.
He also signed an executive order that would effectively dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Images courtesy of the Smithsonian
