The Alfred Street Baptist Church, one of the oldest and largest Black Baptist churches in the country, is ending its association with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, following President Donald Trump's decision to overhaul the cultural hub of Washington, D.C.
Trump earlier this month said he would be terminating several members of the board of trustees, writing in a Truth Social post that the center did "not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture," noting it held drag shows "targeting our youth." He told reporters last week, according to Forbes, "we're going to make sure that it's good and it's not going to be woke."
The new board reportedly elected him its chair on Feb. 12, fired Deborah Rutter as president, and made Ric Grenell, Trump's envoy for special missions who worked in the president's first administration, as interim president.
"After prayerful consideration, deliberation, and discerning, the Alfred Street Baptist Church, one of the oldest and largest African American Baptist Churches in the nation, has made the difficult decision to cancel hosting its annual Christmas performance at the Kennedy Center," the church, located in Alexandria, Virginia, said Sunday in a news release. "We believe that the new leadership's opposition to the Kennedy's Center's long standing tradition of honoring artistic expression across all backgrounds is misaligned with our unwavering commission to proclaim and practice the transformative and redemptive love of Jesus, to pursue justice, to promote equality, to embrace the gift of diversity, and to care for all of creation.
"We are actively exploring other venues where we can continue to share our witness of the birth of Jesus Christ in the excellence and prophetic tradition of the Black Church."
Other artists who have broken ties with the Kennedy Center include, according to multiple media reports, TV producer Shonda Rhimes, who resigned as the board's treasurer; actress, comedian and TV producer Issa Rae; Canadian novelist Louise Penny; queer Canadian singer-songwriter Amanda Rheaume; singer Renée Fleming, who resigned as an artistic adviser, and musician Ben Folds, who resigned as the center's artistic director.
The controversy has also led to the cancellation of performances. The creators of the children's musical "Finn" said their Kennedy Center tour has been canceled, WUSA-TV in Washington reported. According to the Kennedy Center's website, "Finn" is about a "young shark who just wants to be his true self," embracing sparkles and bright colors despite societal expectations. The show has been interpreted as a reflection of the LGBTQ experience, though it does not explicitly reference the community.
Also, Philadelphia-based rock and soul band Low Cut Connie said they were canceling their March 19 performance at the Kennedy Center.
Trump has never been to a performance at the Kennedy Center, saying he "didn't want to go" because "there was nothing [he] wanted to see," according to Forbes. He and first lady Melania Trump broke precedent by skipping the annual Kennedy Center Honors during his first three years in office (the 2020 ceremony was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic). In 2017, three honorees — Norman Lear, Lionel Richie, and Carmen de Lavallade — threatened to boycott the event if Trump attended.
In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed bipartisan legislation creating a national cultural center in the nation's capital. Two months after President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963, President Lyndon Johnson signed a law naming the center after the 35th president.