Jazz band The Cookers have spoken out after confirming they will no longer perform at the Kennedy Center.
The band is just one of many music acts that have pulled out of performing, which coincides with a controversial decision by the center’s board to add Donald Trump’s name to the landmark arts venue. The center has now been renamed as the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
The decision, made in late December by the Trump-controlled board, has sparked resignations and backlash from members of the arts world.
The Cookers, a veteran jazz ensemble, announced on Monday that they “are unable to perform as planned on New Year’s Eve.”
In a statement, the band said, “Jazz was born from struggle and from a relentless insistence on freedom: freedom of thought, of expression, and of the full human voice. Some of us have been making this music for many decades, and that history still shapes us. We are not turning away from our audience, and do want to make sure that when we do return to the bandstand, the room is able to celebrate the full presence of the music and everyone in it. Our hope is that this moment will leave space for reflection, not resentment.”
The statement continued, “However, with the latest act of Donald J. Trump renaming the Center after himself, we can no longer permit ourselves nor ask our audiences to step inside this once great institution. The Kennedy Center was named in honor of our 35th President who fervently believed that the arts were the beating heart of our nation, as well as an integral part of international diplomacy. We hope in three-year’s time, that the Center and its reputation will return to that glory.”
The board of the Kennedy Center voted earlier this month to add Trump’s name to the center, renaming it The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, or more commonly the Trump-Kennedy Center. Trump’s supporters on the board said the change recognized his efforts in securing funding and revitalizing the institution. Trump himself said he was “surprised” and “honored” by the vote.
