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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Maya Yang

Kennedy Center director snipes at musician for ‘vapidness’ over DEI concerns

a woman plays the guitar while sitting on the floor
Yasmin Williams in her home in Alexandria, Virginia, on 22 January 2025. Photograph: Marvin Joseph/Washington Post via Getty Images

The Kennedy Center’s interim executive director, Richard Grenell – a staunch ally of Donald Trump – accused a professional musician of “vapidness” after she emailed him over concerns of the now Trump-controlled center’s rollbacks on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Earlier this week, Yasmin Williams, an award-winning musician who has performed multiple times at the Washington DC-based performing arts center, emailed Grenell regarding the center’s DEI plans, pointing to the cancellations of a concert by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington as well as Finn, a children’s musical about a shark who feels different from other sharks.

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