Advocacy, President Trump

Kennedy Center Name Change

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William Shakespeare asked, “What’s in a name?” If the name is Donald Trump, it is synonymous with chaos, cronyism, crooks, corruption, coverups and cancellations.

In the wake of U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper’s order, the Kennedy Center’s general counsel directed staff to “immediately change email signatures, letterhead, and other documents to reflect the name as “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,” or “Kennedy Center.” The changes must be completed by June 12, 2026.

The illegal name change prompted jazz drummer and vibraphonist Chuck Redd to cancel his Christmas Eve concert. Trump’s crony filed a retaliatory lawsuit. In a letter to Redd, then-Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell wrote this is “your official notice that we will seek $1 million in damages from you for this political stunt.”

On June 5, 2026, the case was dismissed. The Washington Post reported:

A judge on Friday threw out the Kennedy Center’s breach-of-contract lawsuit against a jazz musician who withdrew from a performance after the venue’s board voted to rename the building after President Donald Trump.

D.C. Superior Court Judge Tanya Jones Bosier said center officials failed to show they had made a legally binding agreement with Chuck Redd to perform at the venue’s annual Christmas Eve concert, as he had in years past. Redd told the center he chose to bow out because of “the defiant and illegal name change happening to the Kennedy Center.”

Judge Jones Bosier said the lawsuit violated D.C.’s anti-SLAPP law (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation Act) which is designed to protect people from meritless lawsuits filed by powerful entities to intimidate and silence critics.

Redd’s lawyer, Lisa J. Banks, said in a statement:

The Center sued Mr. Redd because he publicly and rightly objected to adding Donald Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center, a living memorial to former President John F. Kennedy. The lawsuit against Mr. Redd was political retribution, pure and simple, by the Trump Kennedy Center, and the Court correctly saw it as such in dismissing the case with prejudice.

Trump slapped his name on the living memorial to John F. Kennedy. Grennell was slapped down by the court. The “Trump-Kennedy Center” was ordered to pay Redd’s attorneys’ fees and costs.

Let the music play.

Advocacy, President Trump

Judge Orders Trump’s Name Removed from Kennedy Center

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In a blow to President’s Trump’s fragile ego, a federal judge ordered his name removed from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper ruled that the Kennedy Center was unlawfully renamed. Judge Cooper ordered Trump’s name removed from the front portico of the building, website, physical or digital signage, and official materials within 14 days of the date of his order:

The Court has concluded that the Board overstepped its statutory bounds by unilaterally renaming the Kennedy Center after President Trump… As a result, the Kennedy Center Board’s decision to rename the Center, along with its decision to affix President Trump’s name to the building’s façade, violate Congress’s unequivocal mandate. As stated at the outset, Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.

The lawsuit was brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio member of the board of trustees. In a press release, Rep. Beatty said:

Today’s ruling rightly affirms that this administration’s efforts to rename and close the Center have no basis in law. The Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump. He has desecrated this sacred memorial for his own vanity. I am proud to have fought for the rule of law and to protect this sacred institution.

Congresswoman Beatty took a victory lap on X/Twitter.

In a Truth Social post, President Trump had an epic meltdown in which he threw in the towel. Trump said he has “instructed the Department of Commerce to make all necessary arrangements with Congress to allow a full and complete transfer of this Institution, giving them the responsibility for its Operation, Maintenance, and Management.”

Trump followed up his meltdown with an epic whine:

[Judge Cooper]… decided, unprecedentedly, to not allow a desperately needed Building Renovation to go forward. On top of that, he said, “Rip his name off the Building, he’s got 20 days to do so,” even though a large Board of some of the most distinguished people in the Country voted unanimously to put the name up.

Whatever, dude.

Judge Cooper’s order and Trump’s capitulation happened on the 109th anniversary of John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s birth. Happy heavenly birthday, JFK.

Advocacy, Cultural Heritage

The Forgotten Black Origin of Memorial Day

Originally called Decoration Day, Congress established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in 1968. The undertold history of Memorial Day dates back to the Civil War.

First observed on May 1, 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina , thousands of African Americans, including formerly enslaved, 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, and 34th and 104th United States Colored Troops, were led by children as they gathered to honor 257 Union soldiers who were buried in a mass grave on Washington Race Course which was used as a Confederate prison camp.

The ancestors exhumed the mass grave, reburied the bodies and decorated their graves with fresh flowers; hence, Decoration Day.

Advocacy, Hercules Posey, The President's House

Remembering Ona Judge

Ona “Oney” Judge (c. 1773-1848) was an enslaved Black woman held in bondage by George Washington and Martha Washington at Mount Vernon and the President’s House in Philadelphia. As Martha Washington’s personal servant, Ona was responsible for dressing and bathing her, managing her wardrobe, mending clothing, and cleaning personal rooms.

Ona “absconded” from the President’s House on May 21, 1796.

Ona was never caught.

Philadelphia City Council recently passed a resolution designating May 21 annually as “Ona Judge Day.”

City Council also recognized Michael Coard and Avenging The Ancestors Coalition (ATAC) for their “sustained advocacy to ensure the truth about slavery at the President’s House is told, preserved, and publicly recognized.”

Join ATAC on Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 3:30 pm for their 23rd annual Ona “Oney” Judge celebration at the President’s House Site.

For more information, visit Avenging The Ancestors Coalition.

Advocacy, Hercules Posey, Historic Preservation, The President's House

Preservation Month 2026

May is Preservation Month, an annual celebration dedicated to promoting the importance of preserving historic places and cultural heritage. This year’s theme, “all people are created equal,” focuses on places that tell the full American story.

As the nation marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, preservation demands urgency, honesty, and accountability. The words “all people are created equal” did not include Black people. The built environment carries the evidence of that contradiction.

At its core, historic preservation is about storytelling. At my upcoming walking tour, Hercules Posey’s Philadelphia, we will visit historic landmarks to tell the story of President George Washington’s enslaved chief cook. Places like Independence Hall, Congress Hall, Old City Hall and Christ Church.

We will stop at sites that hold Hercules’ story. Sites such as Ricketts Circus and the High Street Market. We will also stroll down the 100 block of Black Horse Alley which was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places’ Historic Street Paving Thematic District in 1998. Some of the granite blocks date back to Hercules’ time in Philadelphia.

Walking in Hercules Posey’s Footsteps will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event is free but reservations are required. To reserve a spot, go here.

Advocacy, Cultural Heritage Preservation, Hercules Posey, Lee Morgan

Established by UNESCO in 2011, International Jazz Day is celebrated annually on April 30 to recognize jazz as a universal language of freedom and creativity. Led by legendary keyboardist, composer and bandleader Herbie Hancock, the day highlights the genre’s power to promote peace, dialogue among cultures, and respect for human rights.

Earlier this year, Hancock held a Zoom call with organizers of International Jazz Day events. He said “jazz is America’s contribution to the world. Jazz is about creativity and sharing this planet as a family.”

On International Jazz Day 2024, Lee Morgan’s historical marker was dedicated.

I will spend part of International Jazz Day 2026 preparing the nomination of Hercules Posey, President George Washington’s enslaved chief cook, for a Pennsylvania historical marker.

Later that evening, I will view the livestream of the All-Star Global Concert from Chicago, Hancock’s hometown.

The concert will be streamed on YouTube.

Cultural Heritage, John Coltrane

Music Legends Born in 1926

In 1926, Carter G. Woodson, founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, launched the first Negro History Week to celebrate African American contributions that were “overlooked, ignored, and even suppressed by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who use them.” The celebration of Black history was timed to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

This year marks the centennial birthday of jazz legends, including John Coltrane, Ray Brown, Miles Davis, Lou Donaldson, Jimmy Heath, Melba Liston and Randy Weston.

Blues legend Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton was born on December 11, 1926 in Alabama. She was the first to record “Hound Dog” which was written for her.

Thornton wrote and recorded “Ball and Chain” in the 1960s.

Thornton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024 in the “Musical Influence” category. She was inducted nearly 40 years after Elvis Presley and nearly 30 years after Janis Joplin.

As The Guardian reports, Thornton’s contributions have been overlooked and ignored:

Thornton should be ranked alongside the likes of Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, but instead she is little more than a footnote in the histories of Elvis Presley and Janis Joplin as the original voice behind songs they would make famous. A new documentary, “Big Mama Thornton: I Can’t Be Anyone But Me,” aims to right this wrong.

“Big Mama Thornton: I Can’t Be Anyone But Me” will be screened at the Doc‘n Roll Film Festival New York City on May 3, 2026.

Advocacy
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April is Jazz Appreciation Month, a nationwide celebration to recognize jazz as a uniquely American art form rooted in Black history and cultural expression. Established in 2001 by the National Museum of American History, people of all ages are encouraged to engage with jazz through education and performance.

Jazz at Lincoln Center recently launched JazzCall for Freedom, a “coordinated civic response to a moment of deep division in our country.” The bandstand is turned into “a public square for civic expression and renewal.”

JazzCall for Freedom is a call to action against “a rising movement towards authoritarianism.” The social media campaign uses jazz to engage with ideas about democracy and freedom.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis notes that “jazz has always been a civic minded music and it gives us a chance to be a part of that legacy.” That legacy dates back to Billie Holiday whose 1939 recording of “Strange Fruit” is the first protest song of the modern Civil Rights Movement.

Each Friday, Jazz at Lincoln Center will share a video featuring an artist performing a chorus of a song embodying the spirit of democracy. This week’s song is Stevie Wonder’s “Visions” performed by Cécile McLorin Salvant and Sullivan Fortner.

For information on how you can add your voice to this national “call and response,” visit jazz.org/jazzcall.

Cultural Heritage, Cultural Heritage Preservation

Women’s History Month: Melba Liston

I will close out Women’s History Month with jazz pioneer Melba Liston (1926-1999). Liston holds the distinction of being the first woman to be regularly featured as a player, composer, and arranger with a major jazz band.

From the National Endowment for the Arts:

Although a formidable trombone player, Melba Liston was primarily known for her arrangements, especially working with Randy Weston, and compositions. Growing up mostly in Los Angeles, some of her first work came during the 1940s with two West Coast masters: bandleader Gerald Wilson and tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon. In Gordon’s small combos, she began to blossom as a trombone soloist, and Gordon wrote a song as a tribute to her, “Mischievous Lady.” Despite her obvious talent as a soloist, Liston became an in-demand big band section player, which likely fueled her later work as an arranger. During the 1940s, Liston also worked with the Count Basie band and with Billie Holiday.

Following a brief hiatus from music, she joined Dizzy Gillespie’s bebop big band in 1950, and again for two of Gillespie’s State Department tours in 1956 and 1957, which included her arrangements of “Annie’s Dance” and “Stella by Starlight” in performances. She started her own all-woman quintet in 1958, working in New York and Bermuda, before joining Quincy Jones’ band in 1959 to play the musical Free and Easy. She stayed in Jones’ touring band as one of two-woman members until 1961.

In 1959, Liston arranged and conducted Gloria Lynne’s album, Lonely and Sentimental.

During the late 1960s and ‘70s, Liston worked as a staff arranger at Motown Records. In this role, she was responsible for arranging and conducting for several artists, including Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Billy Eckstine.

In the 1980s, Liston taught at the University of the West Indies and was director of Popular Music Studies at the Jamaica Institute of Music. A stroke in 1985 ended her playing career. She was able to resume work as a composer and arranger in the 1990s through the aid of computer technology.

Liston was named an NEA Jazz Master in 1987.

Melba Liston was recently celebrated at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.

Advocacy, Hercules Posey, The President's House

Erasing History from National Parks

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This weekend, I led a teach-in at the President’s House Site organized by the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides.

There was a steady stream of visitors to the site. Most were aware that the National Park Service removed the interpretive signs and were ordered to reinstall them. However, they were surprised the President’s House Site has not been restored to its physical status as of January 21, 2026 as ordered by U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe.

The Department of the Interior appealed Judge Rufe’s order to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Full restoration of the site was paused by Judge Thomas M. Hardiman. As the lawsuit, City of Philadelphia v. Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior, et al., moves through the federal courts, the President’s House Site will remain partially restored.

On the two-month anniversary of the removal of the interpretive panels, CBS Sunday Morning aired a report, “Signs of the times: Removing stories of America’s past from our national parks.”

Jim Axelrod interviewed Alan Spears, Senior Director for Cultural Resources at the National Parks Conservation Association.

Spears has a clear message for those who cannot handle the truth about the “nuanced nature of our history”:

If you are thinking about visiting a national park, if you don’t want to tackle any of these large issues that make you think critically about race and slavery, and gender and other things like that, there are hundreds of thousands of places in the United States where you can go. Knock yourself out at Six Flags but don’t ruin it for the rest of us who have come to rely on national parks as places for that learning.

We want to maintain their ability, unimpaired, to be able to talk about the full scope of our history – wonder, warts and all.

President Trump wants to erase the fact-based history told at the President’s House Site. Removal of the interpretive panels is a “sign o’ the times.”