More musicians have called off their performances at the Kennedy Center in response to the inclusion of President Donald Trump’s name on the venue. The Cookers, a renowned jazz ensemble, withdrew from a planned New Year’s Eve concert, joining a growing list of artists who have pulled out of engagements at the center.
The decision to add Trump’s name to the building, now known as the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, was made by the new board earlier this month. The move sparked fresh backlash, with the Cookers announcing their sudden withdrawal from the upcoming event on their website.
While the group did not directly mention the renaming or the Trump administration, they expressed a desire to create a space where music unites rather than divides. However, saxophonist Billy Harper openly criticized the renaming, citing the association with racism and the degradation of African American music and culture.
Other artists, such as folk singer Kristy Lee and Doug Varone and Dancers, have also canceled their performances at the Kennedy Center in protest of the name change. Richard Grenell, a Trump supporter overseeing the center, defended the decision to add Trump’s name and criticized the artists for their cancellations.
The controversy surrounding the Kennedy Center’s renaming has raised questions about the legality of the change, as the center was originally established as a memorial to President Kennedy. Scholars argue that altering the building’s name would require congressional approval, and restrictions exist against turning it into a memorial for anyone else.