In This Case Of The Smithsonian, The Price Of Peace Was Too Steep For Dr. Lonnie Bunch [Op-Ed]

Peace is priceless. 

I don’t care if what you’re doing is for the bag, the community, the family, friends, your ego, or the culture, if it is robbing you of peace (which will rob you of years), it ain’t worth it. So I repeat:

Peace is priceless. 

Unfortunately, the price of peace in this case is that the current administration gets to make history in Trump’s own twisted image, one that centers a very specific ideology where white men are the greatest ‘cuz “Western Culture.” And all those pesky facts like robbing, raping, and pillaging—are too “woke” and must be eradicated.

On Tuesday, the Atlantic reported that Dr. Lonnie Bunch, whom many of us know from his years as the founder and director of NMAAHC, will retire from his current position as Secretary of the Smithsonian at the end of this year. The Smithsonian, where the good doctor, who is 73 years old, has worked for 38 years, encompasses 21 museums and galleries, 21 libraries, a number of research and education centers, and the National Zoo. 

Most betting folk didn’t think Dr. Bunch—the first historian, and the first African American to lead the Smithsonian—would last this long. Although he was reportedly a consummate professional and a pragmatist (surely he ascribed to the Michelle Obama “go high” school of management), even our most dedicated fighters know when to fold ‘em. 

“It is time for my next chapter, a chapter that will allow me to continue to protect the integrity of the Smithsonian and to champion the importance of a history that illuminates and celebrates the complex story of our nation,” Bunch said in a statement. Bunch told the New York Times that the ceaseless haranguing and bullying (this writer’s words) had become “stressful.”

“I have to be honest, it has been stressful,” said Bunch of his job. “And at a certain point, I’d like to wake up in the morning and not look at my cellphone.”

And that is that. The days of Black people sacrificing their health, energy, creativity, and bodies on the altar of racism are over. That man conceived of, raised money for, and oversaw the sprawling federal museum dedicated to Black history and culture; he has spent most of his life championing historical accuracy. He is in his 70s; he is stressed – and we know that stress kills.

A 2026 report in JAMA proves that chronic stress shortens the lives of African Americans. In fact, the study shows that this stress may be able to explain why Black people in the United States have shorter life spans than those of whites. Specifically, stress can cause cardiovascular damage, biological weathering, chronic illness, and mental illness. 

And, in fact, Dr. Bunch has been on the receiving end of a lot of pressure from the Trump administration about the proper way to tell history. 

Just last week, the Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum, and White House domestic policy assistant Vince Haley sent a letter to the Smithsonian Board with veiled threats to cut funding. 

“Those executive departments and agencies cannot in good conscience continue to support the Smithsonian under current leadership by, for example, loaning artifacts for exhibits, enabling procurement processes and making discretionary grants,” the letter said, according to NBC News. 

That letter is in addition to the July 4 post on the White House website that read:  “it would benefit most Americans, especially parents bringing their children for a tour, if the Smithsonian’s flagship history museum had a label at every entrance that reads: ‘Warning: the exhibits in this museum were prepared by people who don’t want you to love your country,’” reports Reuters.

But it doesn’t end there. In March 2025, Trump issued  an executive order, titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” stating that the Smithsonian promoted  “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.” 

“Once widely respected as a symbol of American excellence and a global icon of cultural achievement, the Smithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology,” the order said. “This shift has promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive,” it alleged. 

Shortly thereafter, the White House demanded that Dr. Bunch turn over information about all of its exhibitions before they go public – and at least one, that of painter Amy Sherald at the National Portrait Gallery (part of the Smithsonian) – was canceled over the possible removal of a painting that featured a trans woman dressed as Lady Liberty. Sherald, who painted the official portrait of Michelle Obama in 2019, called the government’s actions “censorship.”

Finally, Trump sicced the capo of the anti-woke mafia, JD Vance, on the Smithsonian to clean it up, according to Reuters.

Vance, who must have loads of time on his hands now that Jared Kushner has got the foreign and domestic diplomacy thing under control, is all over the culture wars on team “family values.” NBC News reports that Vance criticized Bunch’s leadership at a meeting just a few months ago. 

Vance apparently believes that patriotic history means that the white progenitors of “Western culture” should never look bad, despite the truth of it. This version of American history is one where brave, white men have mastered the universe— in part by being “masters” (but don’t say that out loud), and everyone else is just footnotes. 

Little wonder Dr. Bunch found staying at the Smithsonian untenable, though he did say he would stay on for three to four months to find a replacement. 

So I say, goodbye, Dr. Bunch, job well done. You deserve some peace in your later years, and someone else will have to take up the mantle, because no Black person should die from race-related stress, though hundreds of thousands of us have, and many more of us unfortunately will. 

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