President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities Resigns Following Charlottesville
President Donald Trump. source: Internet.
The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities has resigned in the wake of Donald Trump’s response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Committee issued a letter to Donald Trump slamming him for his failure to condemn the actions of white supremacists, Neo-Nazis and other hate groups at the rally in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12th. Refusing to work under the current administration without taking a stand, the Committee states in its letter that “Elevating any group that threatens and discriminates on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, disability, orientation, background, or identity is un-American.”
The Committee began in 1982 under Ronald Reagan, serving as an advisory group on cultural issues. The most recent members included prominent figures throughout the arts and humanities such as artist Chuck Close, architect Thom Mayne and actor Kal Penn. The letter denounces many of Trump’s divisive actions throughout his political career as antithetical to the values and purposes of art and the humanities, stating, “Art is about inclusion. The Humanities include a vibrant free press. You have attacked both.”
Members condemned Trump’s various other policies -- from the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris agreement to the ban against trans-gender service members. The letter concludes with a final statement directed at Trump and his ability to act as president. “Supremacy, discrimination, and vitriol are not American values. Your values are not American values. We must be better than this. We are better than this. If this is not clear to you, then we call on you to resign your office, too.”
Many have noted that the first letter of each paragraph spells out the word “RESIST.”