Backlash continues over the Trump administration’s push to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Renaming the Kennedy Center would take an act of Congress, but it appears the administration is moving forward with the change anyway.
People against the name change held a protest held outside the iconic building Saturday morning.
“I think it is just more than a disgrace that he would take this memorial for an assassinated president and he would put his name on it,” D.C. resident Angela Elkins said.
At first, it appeared Kennedy Center staff and security would only allow a hand full of demonstrators to protest in front of the building, but eventually the full group was allowed to march. The demonstration drew in about 100 people, led by Mallory Miller, who formed a group called Hands Off the Arts earlier this year.
“This building belong to the American people, and these folks know it,” Mallory Miller with Hands of the Arts said.
She used to work at the Kennedy Center.
“I was fired for organizing my union in August, and since then I’ve been organizing the community to take back the Kennedy Center from the Trump administration,” Miller said.
A D.C. resident named Andrew Howard was walking his dog outside of the Kennedy Center on Friday when he saw the president’s name being added. Howard paused his walk outside of the center to say Trump’s name addition was a “desecration of this building.” He said he will never set foot in the building as long as the president’s name is on it.
“The reality is, the only body that can do something about this is Congress and they need to act now and remove his name,” Howard said. “Not three and a half years from now but they need to remove his name during this administration and make the point that we have the separation of powers in this government.”
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Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center in February
In February, President Donald Trump became chair of the Kennedy Center and handpicked new board members. It was announced Thursday that the board voted to rename the center, even though there were other members, who are appointed to the board by statute, who opposed the change.
Lettering bearing the president’s name was added the building the following day.
“This administration seems to be bent upon putting gold on everything and putting his name on everything and smothering the things we care about,” D.C. resident Dia Sherman said.
Renaming the Kennedy Center could face legal challenges, because changing the name requires an act of Congress.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, joined the protest.
“The law that establishes the Kennedy Center for the performing arts is crystal clear that only John F. Kennedy’s name can a part of this building, so this is a gross violation of the law,” he said.
Hands Off the Arts plans to hold more protests in the future.
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