Lonnie G Bunch IiiEdit
Lonnie G. Bunch III is an American historian and museum administrator who has shaped how the United States tells its story to a broad public. He is best known for founding and directing the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) at the Smithsonian Institution, a project that turned a long-running national conversation about race, memory, and democracy into a tangible, accessible institution. In 2019 he was appointed as Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the nationwide network of museums and research centers that together form one of the country’s most important public-facing engines of education and cultural diplomacy. His leadership has reinforced a view that public history should connect scholarship to everyday life, expand access to learning, and anchor national memory in a wide range of experiences.
Bunch’s career sits at the intersection of scholarship, curatorial practice, and public policy. He has been described as a historian who builds bridges between the academy and the general public, and between communities with long-standing grievances and the institutions that can address them. His work emphasizes how the American story is not a single thread but a tapestry that includes the contributions, struggles, and resilience of black Americans as integral to the nation’s evolution. This approach is reflected in his curation, exhibitions, and scholarly writing, and it informs his leadership of a major federal cultural institution that serves millions of visitors each year. Smithsonian Institution and public history readers alike have followed his efforts to broaden access to knowledge and to encourage a more complete understanding of American history.
Biography
Early life and education
Lonnie G. Bunch III pursued graduate study in history at the University of California, Berkeley, where he completed a doctorate that grounded his later work in American history and the study of black experiences within the national narrative. His education helped shape a career devoted to turning archival material, artifacts, and scholarship into public-facing exhibitions and educational programs. University of California, Berkeley serves as a reference point for his scholarly formation.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Bunch is best known for his role as the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, a project that began as a long-term national effort to preserve and interpret the history of black Americans within the broader frame of the American story. Under his direction, the museum advanced a curatorial program aimed at capturing everyday life, work, culture, and political activism, alongside the larger arc of civil rights. The museum, opened in 2016, became a centerpiece for national remembrance, education, and dialogue. Its establishment involved collaboration with scholars, communities, educators, and policymakers, and it sought to place black Americans’ experiences in the context of national development and universal themes like freedom, equality, and opportunity. National Museum of African American History and Culture and Smithsonian Institution projects reflect this approach.
Secretary of the Smithsonian
In 2019 Bunch became the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the head of the federal agency that coordinates a network of museums, research centers, and cultural initiatives. In that role he oversees a broad portfolio of programs—ranging from scientific research to cultural heritage preservation to public exhibitions—and he guides strategic priorities that influence how the Smithsonian engages with schools, educators, and international audiences. The Secretary’s office emphasizes long-term preservation, education, and innovation in digital access, exhibition design, and community partnerships. Smithsonian Institution continues to rely on his leadership to defend and expand the institution’s mission of making knowledge accessible to all.
Controversies and debates
The rise of the NMAAHC and the transformation of the Smithsonian’s public-facing narrative have prompted lively discussions about the purpose and scope of national memory. From a perspective that prioritizes broad-based civic education and national unity, supporters argue that a comprehensive museum of black history fills essential gaps in public knowledge and helps all Americans understand the role race has played in shaping the republic. Critics, however, have questioned whether focusing so intensively on race might risk fragmentation or promote a particular political lens on history. Proponents counter that inclusive history is not about division but about a more accurate, complete account of the nation’s past, and that museums should reflect the experiences of all major communities that contributed to American development. The debate often centers on funding, scope, and interpretation: how to balance singular narratives with common national themes, and how to ensure that public institutions remain welcoming to diverse audiences while staying true to scholarly standards.
From the vantage point of those who favor limited government overreach in cultural funding and a focus on universal civic lessons, the most productive posture is to emphasize how institutions like the NMAAHC and the broader Smithsonian contribute to civic education, critical thinking, and national cohesion. They argue that public funding should foster durable educational value and international cultural exchange, not be treated as a vehicle for partisan political agendas. In this frame, the museum’s emphasis on civil rights, entrepreneurship, arts, science, and daily life helps illustrate how a diverse citizenry contributes to common national projects. These observers often contend that the country benefits when public history foregrounds shared principles—liberty, equality, and opportunity—while still acknowledging the complex experiences that have shaped the nation.
The discourse around “woke” criticisms of such museums tends to hinge on claims about division versus unity and about how history should be taught. From the position described above, critics who label inclusive history as inherently divisive are seen as misreading the purpose of public institutions: museums are designed to tell a fuller story, not to erase or replace universal themes. Supporters argue that accurately representing the past—such as including the experiences of black Americans in politics, culture, science, and daily life—helps create a more informed citizenry and reduces the risk of future misremembering. They maintain that concerns about “identity politics” are overstated, because a robust national story benefits from multiple perspectives that illuminate how everyone’s history contributed to shared national institutions and values.
Legacy and impact
Bunch’s leadership has had a lasting impact on how public history is produced and consumed. The NMAAHC’s exhibitions, digital programs, and educational outreach have expanded access to scholarship and created new pathways for learning outside traditional classroom settings. The museum’s approach—integrating artifacts, community voices, and interactive experiences—has influenced other museums to pursue similar inclusive narratives without sacrificing rigor. By elevating the study of black American history within the context of American democracy, the project sought to demonstrate that memory can be a unifying force, not a zero-sum contest over which stories count.
As Secretary of the Smithsonian, Bunch has continued to advocate for modernizing access to collections, expanding online resources, and strengthening collaborations with schools, universities, and international partners. His governance reflects a belief that public institutions should be accountable stewards of cultural heritage while remaining responsive to the educational needs of a diverse population. The Smithsonian’s ongoing work under his tenure includes expanding digital scholarship, supporting research across disciplines, and building programs that reach underserved communities, all while preserving scholarly standards and the public trust.