Jazz icon Chuck Redd made news last week by canceling his Christmas jazz concert after President Trump put his name on the Kennedy Center walls. But he’s not the only one making a stand.
Lin-Manuel Miranda canceled the whole 10-year-anniversary celebration of Hamilton.
“It was a moral decision,” he said. “The Kennedy Center has always been a place where arts from all sides come together. Trump’s team changed that by firing the board and putting Trump in charge. It was easy for us to say no to what it’s becoming now.”
Issa Rae also canceled her sold-out show, explaining that “I can’t support an institution that’s been a home for artists of all backgrounds and now is being treated as a political tool.
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Pulitzer Prize-winning folk singer Rhiannon Giddens canceled her Kennedy Center gig back in February, saying she couldn’t perform there after the new board forced changes.
Peter Wolf, singer of The J. Geils Band, also canceled his show at the Kennedy Center, calling the staff firings “egregious.”
Low Cut Connie, a Philadelphia rock and soul band, canceled their Kennedy Center gig too.
Frontman Adam Weiner wrote on Instagram, “I was excited to be part of the Social Impact series, which focuses on community, joy, justice, and equity through the arts. But when I learned that the Kennedy Center, which has been non-partisan for 54 years, is now led by Trump and his team, I decided not to perform there.”
All musicians should stop performing at the Kennedy Center until Trump gives up control and removes his name from the institution.
Hope you’ve got Kid Rock on speed dial, Donald, because that’s the only musical talent you’ll be able to get to play there!
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