Lonnie G. Bunch III

Lonnie G. Bunch III is the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. He was the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

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  1. How to Define America in 30 Objects

    What artifacts capture 250 years of work to attain the dreams of the Declaration?

    Lonnie G. Bunch III
    Lead art
    Illustration by Alisa Gao / The Atlantic. Sources: Al Drago / The Washington Post / Getty; Library of Congress; Marvin Joseph / The Washington Post / Getty.

  2. Why Is America Afraid of Black History?

    No one should fear a history that asks a country to live up to its highest ideals.

    Lonnie G. Bunch III
    detail of illustration with photo portrait of 19th-century Black woman inside ornate gilt and wood frame with part of a marriage certificate as her dress
    Photo-illustration by Khaleelah I. L. Harris. Sources: The Freedmen’s Bureau Archives; Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve Collection / Florida State Archives; University of Virginia Library Online Exhibits.