Press Releases

Today, the Chairs of the Congressional Tri-Caucus – which is composed of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus – celebrated the appointment of Lonnie G. Bunch III, the current Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, as the first person of color chosen to lead the Smithsonian Institution in its 173 year history.

The Tri-Caucus Chairs include Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (CA-37), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Joaquin Castro (TX-20), and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Judy Chu (CA-27).

“We are thrilled with news on the historic appointment of Lonnie G. Bunch III to lead the Smithsonian Institution. With this selection, the Smithsonian Board of Regents has made a crucial commitment to encourage and celebrate diversity and inclusion at the highest levels of the Institution. Mr. Bunch has been a renowned and ground-breaking figure in his own right within the Smithsonian, including as founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, where he helped to usher in this most recent addition to the National Mall,” said the Tri-Caucus Chairs. “We believe Mr. Bunch is the right choice to lead the Institution at this critical moment in time. Our country is rapidly becoming more diverse, and it is time the face of this iconic cultural institution begins to reflect the country it serves. Doing so will allow the Smithsonian to reach new and growing audiences that have been historically under-represented within the arts and culture. The Tri-Caucus looks forward to working with the incoming Secretary to strengthen the Institution for the benefit of future generations, and ensure it continues to celebrate the history and contributions of the communities of color that our members represent.”

The Tri-Caucus Chairs had previously called on the Smithsonian Board of Regents to prioritize consideration of a person of color or a woman as the Smithsonian Institution’s next Secretary in order to ensure that the organization’s leadership reflects the diversity of the American people. Full text of the letter can be found here.