By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The director of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. said on Friday she will step down from her role, with her decision coming two weeks after President Donald Trump criticized her as a supporter of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Trump said on May 30 he fired Kim Sajet, calling her partisan and a DEI supporter while saying she was inappropriate for the role. It was not clear whether he had the legal authority to do that because the Smithsonian is technically independent of the federal government, despite receiving most of its budget from the U.S. Congress.
After Trump fired Sajet, the Smithsonian attempted to affirm its autonomy by saying “all personnel decisions are made by and subject to the direction of the secretary, with oversight by the board.”
Trump signed an executive order in March accusing the Smithsonian Institution, the vast museum and research complex that is a premier exhibition space for U.S. history and culture, of spreading “anti-American ideology.”
KEY QUOTES
“This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one,” Sajet said in a statement. “Today, I believe that stepping aside is the best way to serve the institution.”
Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch said: “I know this was not an easy decision.” He added Sajet “put the needs of the Institution above her own.”
CONTEXT
Sajet was the first woman to serve as director of the gallery, a landmark Washington institution that houses portraits of distinguished Americans, including every president. It contains over 26,000 works, according to its website.
Trump has repeatedly attacked DEI initiatives that he calls discriminatory against groups like white people and men. Supporters of DEI say it helps to address historic inequities faced by marginalized groups like ethnic minorities, women and the LGBT community.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Diane Craft)
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