The Smithsonian Institution is to close its diversity office, freeze hiring for federal roles, and require workers to return to in-person work in order to comply with President Donald Trump‘s recent executive order.
In an email sent to staff on Tuesday (28 September), Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch said the diversity office closure is a “first step” to address Trump’s order, which declared diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives to be “illegal and immoral discrimination programs”, the Washington Post reports.
“Our core values of fairness and equity for all remain unchanged,” Bunch wrote in the email obtained by the Washington Post.
Bunch said the Smithsonian would “continue to use every tool at our disposal to find and nurture excellence in our workforce” and “demand that our workplace is free from discrimination and harassment”.
Smithsonian spokesperson Philip Zimmerman told the Post: “Our institution is fully committed to excellence in our workforce, free from discrimination and harassment.
“We are closing our Office of Diversity but retaining our efforts at visitor accessibility as it serves a critical function.”
Access Smithsonian, the institution’s accessibility initiative, was absorbed into the diversity office in 2022 but will now continue separately.
Smithsonian’s core values “remain unchanged”
Bunch wrote in his email: “We have long told the stories and embraced the experiences of all Americans, and we will keep doing so in line with our mission.”
The Smithsonian Institution was established by an act of Congress in 1846 as an independent federal trust instrumentality. It is the world’s largest museum, education and research complex, overseeing 21 museums, education centres, research facilities, cultural centres, libraries and the National Zoo.
Two new museums – the National Museum of the American Latino and the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum – are in the early planning stages.
Following Trump’s executive order, the National Gallery of Art has also closed its diversity office and redistributed its staff.
Images courtesy of the Smithsonian
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