Smithsonian Taps N.Y. Cultural Director To Lead African American Museum

Kevin Young, a poet and director of New York’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, will become director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian officials announced Wednesday.

Young will succeed Lonnie G. Bunch III, founding director of the four-year-old museum, who became secretary of the Smithsonian last year. He will start Jan. 11.

Young, 49, the poetry editor of the New Yorker and the author of 11 books of poetry, said he is eager to continue Bunch’s efforts to record, represent and interpret the stories of African Americans.

“The museum has really cemented the case that we’re telling an American story that is particular but also for all Americans,” he said. “It’s a leader in how a museum can be a creative place of engagement, a place that speaks to us on lots of different levels. How can we chronicle this particular moment? How can we provide a look at the pandemics of covid and racism? I’m looking forward to continuing to do that in an innovative way.”