There are people whose careers can be measured by the positions they have held, the institutions they have built, or the accolades they have received. Then there are rare individuals whose impact is measured by the people who can walk farther because of the path they cleared.
Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III is one of those people.
On behalf of the Association of African American Museums, I extend our deepest gratitude and heartfelt congratulations to Secretary Bunch as he announces his retirement from the Smithsonian Institution after nearly four decades of extraordinary service.
For historians and public historians, Secretary Bunch has demonstrated what it means to place history in service to the public. He has spent his career reminding this nation that understanding America requires the courage to confront the fullness of the American story. That means telling not only the comfortable chapters, but also those that challenge us, complicate our understanding of the past, and ultimately help us better understand who we are.
For those of us within the African American museum field, however, Secretary Bunch's significance is deeply personal.
He is one of us.
His journey did not begin when he became Secretary of the Smithsonian or when the doors of the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened on the National Mall. His journey through this field stretches back decades, including his early work at the California African American Museum under the leadership of Aurelia Brooks.
Those beginnings matter.
They remind us that before the national titles and historic achievements, Secretary Bunch was doing the work that so many members of AAAM do every day. He researched, collected, interpreted, preserved, educated, and helped communities understand the importance of their own histories. He learned and practiced this profession within the very institutions that form the foundation of our field.
He has also been part of the AAAM family for much of his remarkable career. He has been our colleague, mentor, advocate, historian, museum professional, and friend.
That is part of what makes his story so powerful to us.
He allowed us to see ourselves.
When we watched him lead, we could see what was possible for our own careers. When we watched him build, we could imagine what was possible for our institutions. When we watched him take African American history to the National Mall and ultimately lead the Smithsonian Institution itself, generations of museum professionals could look at him and see that someone who came from our field, understood our institutions, valued our communities, and knew our struggles could reach the highest levels of the museum profession without forgetting where he came from.
Representation at that level matters.
By creating the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Secretary Bunch forever changed the landscape of museums in America. Perhaps equally important is what that accomplishment communicated to generations of historians and museum professionals: our histories belong at the center of the American story.
Secretary Bunch helped pave a road that so many of us now travel.
Because of his leadership, countless historians, curators, educators, preservationists, museum professionals, students, and emerging leaders have been able to imagine possibilities for themselves and their institutions that once seemed beyond reach. His example encouraged our field to dream bigger, insist upon excellence, and continue the difficult work of preserving and interpreting African American history.
His career has also demonstrated something fundamental about the work we do. African American history is not a specialized sidebar to the American experience. It is central to understanding America.
At a moment when the work of historians and museums is as consequential as ever, his legacy reminds us of our responsibility.
- We must keep telling the full truth about America.
- We must protect the historical record.
- We must preserve the stories entrusted to us.
- We must create space for the next generation.
Furthermore, we must ensure that future generations inherit institutions courageous enough to tell these stories fully and honestly.
Secretary Bunch has carried that responsibility with extraordinary grace, intellect, humility, courage, and determination. Now, those of us who have benefited from his leadership must continue carrying that work forward.
For AAAM, this is not simply the retirement of a Smithsonian Secretary. This is a moment to honor one of our own. It is an opportunity to honor someone who grew from this field, walked alongside this community, helped transform our profession, and then held the door open so that others could follow.
As we celebrate this remarkable chapter in Secretary Bunch's life and career, we invite the entire AAAM family to help us honor him. We welcome our members to share words of congratulations and encouragement, personal reflections, memories, and photographs through the AAAM member portal. Whether you worked alongside Secretary Bunch, learned from him, were mentored by him, shared a moment with him at an AAAM conference, or simply found inspiration in his journey, we invite you to add your voice.
AAAM will collect these messages and images and share them with Secretary Bunch as an expression of the gratitude, respect, love, and appreciation of the African American museum community. We want him to see and hear from the people whose careers, institutions, and lives his work has touched.
Secretary Bunch, thank you for allowing us to see ourselves in you. Thank you for showing generations of museum professionals what is possible. Thank you for making space for others. Thank you for believing in the power of museums, the importance of historians, and the transformative power of history.
Most importantly, thank you for helping America understand that African American history is not separate from American history. It is essential to understanding America itself.
You have paved the way.
We've got it from here. We will continue to fight the good fight!
With profound gratitude,
Vedet Coleman-Robinson, Ph.D.
President & CEO
Association of African American Museums
