Smithsonian Affiliate Removes Bayard Rustin Panel After Single Email From State Legislator
A Smithsonian-affiliated regional history museum in Richmond removed its standing panel on civil rights organizer Bayard Rustin from public display Monday morning, less than four hours after receiving a single email from State Del. Wyatt Crouse-Hinrichs, 44, describing the panel as “two things at once, which is, you know.” Rustin, who organized the 1963 March on Washington and was a lifelong advocate for both labor and gay rights, will be replaced in the gallery by a touchscreen kiosk titled “Civil Rights: An Overview” that does not load. Museum director Beatriz Halloran-Speckmann, 56, said the decision was “preemptive” and “honestly easier than the alternative.” A docent on the floor, who declined to be named, said she had been instructed to redirect any questions about Rustin to “the gift shop, where we sell a magnet.”